Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith on Sunday stepped down as Kerala Chalachitra Academy chairman following allegations of misbehaviour levelled against him by a Bengali actor. 

In an audio clip sent to a television channel, filmmaker Ranjith expressed his intention to step down from his position to prevent any negative impact on the reputation of the Left government in the state.

He also stated his determination to address the allegations against him through legal means.

Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra alleged that the filmmaker made advances towards her during the pre-production of a 2009 movie, leading to calls for an investigation into her allegations by key LDF constituent CPI, after the Justice Hema Committee’s findings.

She recently claimed that the filmmaker behaved inappropriately during the shooting of a film he directed, a charge which Ranjith has refuted, asserting that he is the “real victim” in the case.

“The person concerned (Ranjith) is a big name in the Malayalam film industry and a national award-winning director. I went to his residence to discuss an upcoming film project, and I did not like his behaviour. He made certain advances subtly and I felt uncomfortable while we were discussing the script,” Mitra said.

“I don’t know if he has treated other female actors in the film industry in the same way. It is up to them to open up or not if they have faced a similar situation. Maybe his power and influence played a role for others to not speak out,” she added.

Ranjith resigned in the face of intense protests against him and the state government due to these allegations.

On August 24, the opposition Congress and BJP demanded his resignation, contending that he had no moral right to continue in his position.

Additionally, senior Malayalam actor Siddique resigned from the post of general secretary of AMMA in response to rape and sexual assault allegations, which emerged following the release of the Justice Hema Committee report exposing incidents of casting couch and sexual abuse in the Malayalam film industry.

Tollywood actor Akkineni Nagarjuna on Saturday reacted to the demolition of his owned establishment N-Convention centre by the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRA) authorities saying he was pained by the unlawful action.

The Megastar, in a post on X, said that he was pained by the unlawful manner of demolition carried out in respect of N-Convention, contrary to existing stay orders and Court cases.

“I thought it fit to issue this statement to place on record certain facts for protecting my reputation and to indicate that we have not done any actions in violation of the law. The land is a Patta land, and not even an inch of tank plan is encroached”, he added.

In respect of the building constructed inside the private land, there is a stay order granted against any earlier illegal notice for demolition, the Telugu actor said. Today clearly, the demolition was carried out wrongfully based on misinformation and there was no notice issued prior to carrying out the demolition this morning, Nagarjuna added.

The actor said: “As a law-abiding citizen, if the Court before which the matter is pending, had decided against me, I would have carried out the demolition myself. I am placing this on record for the purpose of correcting any public misimpression about wrongful constructions or encroachment by us. We would be seeking appropriate relief from the Court in relation to the wrong actions carried out by the authorities.”

According to reports, officials of Hyderabad Disaster Management and Asset Protection Agency, along with the police, carried out a demolition drive at N Convention Hall near Shilparamam in Rangareddy district.

Madhapur DCP said the HYDRAA officials had started demolishing the N Convention Hall this morning and the authority has deployed a police force to ensure the demolition is carried out smoothly, as the land comes under the FTL zone.

The N-Convention Centre, which was constructed on a 10-acre plot, has been facing scrutiny for a while. It is now being demolished due to allegations of illegal construction within the Full Tank Level (FTL) area and the buffer zone of the Thammidikunta Lake in the Madhapur area of the city.

According to official records provided by the executive engineer of the North Tank Division, the FTL area of Thammidikunta Lake is approximately 29.24 acres. It is alleged that the N-Convention Centre encroached on about 1.12 acres of the FTL area and an additional 2 acres within the buffer zone.

Akshay Kumar, a Bollywood actor, made a statement on Friday addressing recent box office failures saying it is ridiculous that people are writing sympathetic messages expressing how they feel sorry for me just because my recent film did not perform well in theaters. He added that he is not bothered by such remarks and will continue to do his work as he has done for three decades.

Films like Sarfira, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Mission Raniganj, Selfiee, Raksha Bandhan, Samrat Prithviraj, and Bachchhan Paandey were not hits.

Showing his positive attitude, he added, “Whatever happens in life happens for a better and bigger reason. Yes, my four or five films have not done well, so what? People are sending sympathetic messages like ‘Don’t worry’ and ‘It will be okay,’ but why?”

He also mentioned a journalist who wrote about his comeback, saying, “I called him up and inquired what ‘back’ even means. I have not gone anywhere; I am still here working on my next film.” Kumar conveyed this message to reporters at the trailer launch of Khel Khel Mein.

At the age of 56, the actor declared, “I am here, and I will continue to work. I don’t heed what presumptions and assumptions people make about me. I wake up with a productive mindset, exercise, go to work, and what I make, I do on my own. I don’t owe anything to anyone.”

Mudassar Aziz, known for directing Happy Bhag Jayegi and Pati Patni Aur Woh, is behind the comedy-drama Khel Khel Mein, which is set to compete at the box office with two other Hindi films: John Abraham’s Vedaa and Stree 2, releasing on August 15. Despite the competition, Aziz expressed his support for all the films, emphasizing a collaborative spirit within the Hindi film industry.

He stated, “We all belong to the same industry, I don’t see it as a competition. I have admiration for Amar Kaushik’s work (director of Stree 2) . I genuinely hope both of our films are a success at the box office.”

Aziz highlighted the importance of collective success for the industry, saying, “When a festive weekend arrives, it’s a chance to encourage audiences to visit cinemas. In Khel KhelMein, I’ve even included a nod to Stree as a way of saying, ‘Let’s make this a successful weekend for Hindi cinema .’

Khel Khel Mein is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Vipul D Shah, Ashwin Varde, Rajesh Bahl, Shashikant Sinha, and Ajay Rai.