As the #MeToo storm sweeps through Sandalwood, actor Arjun Sarja filed a Rs 5-crore defamation suit against actress Sruthi Hariharan, who accused him of sexual harassment during the making of bilingual film Vismaya.
The case was filed at the Bengaluru City Civil Court on Thursday by Arjun's nephew Dhruva Sarja. The actor has also filed a complaint in the cyber crime police station stating his email and social media accounts had been hacked.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce's efforts at reconciliation between the warring actors failed after both actors remained adamant over seeking a legal remedy.
A week after actor Sruti Hariharan, 26, accused senior actor Arjun Sarja, 52, of sexual misconduct, the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) convened a meeting chaired by veteran star Ambareesh to resolve the issue. However, both the aggrieved parties refused to reconcile and chose to pursue the case legally. Ambareesh expressed displeasure over the actors bypassing the KFCC and trying to settle matters in the courts. "I have asked both the actors to settle it amicably and we can only wait and watch. This is unprecedented that the members have chosen to go to the courts," said Ambareesh who claimed that KFCC had always resolved the issues within the body.
After a three-hour-long meeting, the actors addressed the press meet at KFCC by taking turns, when Ambareesh summoned them one after the other.
Sarja ruled out any "compromise" stating that he had already approached the courts. "I will not favour any compromise formula as these false allegations have affected my reputation and has immensely hurt my family members and fans across the southern states. I suspect a conspiracy to tarnish my image. I don't know who is behind all this. But the truth will be out soon. I want to legally fight it," said Sarja, who hailed #MeToo but also warned those misusing it.
Sruthi expressed surprise that Sarja had filed two cases in the court, even as KFCC had called both parties for truce. "Why is a woman always victimised for speaking out. Two days back Kavita Lankesh ma'am and Munirathna sir told me they were fixing a meeting with KFCC to resolve the matter and I put on hold my plans to file a case. But now I hear Arjun Sarja has filed two cases against me. I am ready to fight him legally. I am the aggrieved party and there is no question of me apologising to any one," she said.
KFCC "unaware" of SC guidelines
The #MeToo storm in the Kannada film industry has not only exposed the serious lack of safeguards against harassment but also the ignorance of the senior members about the Supreme Court guidelines that makes it mandatory to have an Internal Complaints Committee to combat workplace harassment.
Even as many more allegations of sexual harassment surface in Sandalwood, the KFCC is yet to put in place a mechanism to address the issue. Even the senior women members who attended the meeting chose to stay away from the media.
Actress Sanjjanaa Galrani has alleged that she was harassed by director Ravi Srivatsa during the shoot of her first Kannada film Ganda Hendathi in 2006. Ravi had allegedly forced Sanjjana to do a kissing scene repeatedly.
A budding screenwriter shared her account of sexual harassment by Kannada film director Ere Gowda (of Thithi fame) on social media. In solidarity with the #MeToo movement, Zoo Entertainment, the producers of Ere Gowda's latest film Balekempa has withdrawn the film from Jio MAMI 20th Mumbai Film Festival and all other film festivals till further notice.
When KFCC was asked about it's stand in these cases, Ambareesh said, "The complainants have not approached us."
Ambareesh also insisted that there was no need for any Internal Complaints Committee.
"This industry is more than 75 years old and has not faced any major issues. We cannot have any Internal committee as our actors, especially the female, come from Mumbai and Chennai and other cities," said Ambareesh.
When reporters probed the veteran actor further, KFCC president Chinne Gowda intervened and said the process of setting up a committee had just began.