Malayalam director Ranjith Balakrishnan has been remanded to 14 days in judicial custody following his arrest in a sexual harassment case on Tuesday night
He was arrested in Idukki district on Tuesday evening after an actress alleged that he attempted to sexually harass her on a film set. He was initially taken to the Thodupuzha police station and was later handed over to the Kochi police. After the arrest was recorded, he was taken for medical examination and produced before the magistrate.
The woman actor told police that the director had invited her to a caravan during the shooting of a film in Fort Kochi and then attempted to sexually assault her. Her statement was recorded at the Women’s Police Station on Monday. The case was registered a few days ago by the Kochi City police.
This is not the first time Ranjith has become subject to such allegations. He had come under the radar after revelations in the Justice K Hema Committee report on sexual harassment and abuse in Mollywood. In 2024, an actress filed a complaint against the director with the Kochi City police commissioner, and a case was registered against him.
Reacting to the recent arrest, she told Asianet News, “Karma is a b*tch, it leaves nobody. Whatever goes around comes around. He may be an acclaimed director or a famous figure, but this recent incident proves that he is essentially not a good human being,” she said.
The actress had alleged that the director had touched her inappropriately after inviting her to act in the film Paleri Manikyam in 2009.
The actress said that it took her 15 years to come forward with the allegation due to the ack of support systems. “Back then, I knew no one. Social media was not that relevant. My case was kind of nullified because of time constraints and technical issues. Maybe he thought he would go scot-free yet again. But no,” she said, on the fresh allegations and the actress who levelled new allegetions against the director.
“These kinds of sexual predators should be put behind bars. This should be set as an example that women deserve respect in their workplace,” she said.
The Kerala High Court had closed the sexual harasment case filed by her based after they found that the time limit for the magistrate to file a case in the 2009 case had expired. The court said they were considering treating the alleged offence committed in 2009 as bailable.
A young man from Kozhikode had also alleged that he was sexually assaulted by the director in Bengaluru. The Karnataka High Court had once again quashed the case against the director noting the complaint was filed 12 years after the incident occured and that the delay was suspicious.
