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The Me Too movement has now rocked the Kannada film industry. This, after the accusation made by popular actor Sruthi Hariharan against pan-South India star Arjun Sarja led to a high-voltage press conference in Bengaluru on Sunday. Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Sruthi was faced with a volley of questions from reporters, ranging from the by now stereotypical “why didn’t you come forward earlier?”, to “what is the difference between a good and bad touch?”
The actor took the questions in her stride and resolutely replied.
The press conference was called after the Me Too movement gripped the Kannada film industry with multiple actors coming out with instances of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour. Sruthi was joined by members of Film Industry For Rights and Equality (FIRE) – Vijayalakshmi Patil, Panchami, Roopa Iyer, Rekha Rani, Kavitha Lankesh, Chetan, and legal expert Jayna Kothari.
The accusations against the popular actor have since escalated, after an anonymous woman backed the claims of actor Sruthi Hariharan, and said that she and several other persons working as extras on the set of a film were similarly subjected to Arjun's advances.
The woman claimed she was part of a group called the Samantha Group which travelled to Mysuru for a three-day shoot in a film involving Arjun Sarja. The woman, appearing on Public TV, said, "During the breaks, Arjun would approach the girls and point to his room and say that he stays in a hotel and that we can come visit him there. At that time, I did not like his behaviour. We were all either college students, or had just graduated from college, or were looking for part-time jobs. When I read Sruthi Hariharan's account, I felt it was right."
Others have accused Sruthi of raising the issue for publicity and claimed that she is mentally unstable. However, Sruthi did not hold back in her response to her detractors.
The press conference in Bengaluru comes a day after media apathy came to the fore at a press conference in Chennai in which popular singer Chinmayi was forced to stand up and beg the media, with folded hands, to be sensitive.
Several persons working in the film and media industry have come forward in the last few days recounting experiences of sexual harassment and assault faced by them.
(This story has been published in an arrangement with The News Minute)
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