Ranjith's inappropriate behavior led Sreelekha Mitra to back out of Malayalam films, says filmmaker Joshy Joseph

Documentary filmmaker Joshy Joseph recently shed light on the controversy involving actor Sreelekha Mitra and filmmaker Ranjith, revealing that Sreelekha had initially planned to pursue more Malayalam films but dropped her ambitions due to Ranjith's inappropriate behavior on the sets of Paleri Manikyam.

Joshy emphasized that Sreelekha, a well-known figure in Bengali cinema at the time, would have brought significant creative value to Malayalam cinema. "She is a wonderful actor. At that time, she was a popular name in Bengali film circles. She had plans to do more Malayalam films, but opted out of it due to Ranjith’s misbehaviour. Her collaboration would have added creative value to Malayalam cinema,” Joshy stated.

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He also countered Ranjith's claim that he had only met Sreelekha for an audition, asserting that it was Ranjith who was particularly eager to have her in the movie. "Ranjith was particular that Sreelekha Mitra should be part of Paleri Manikyam. His associate Shankar Ramakrishnan, who is also my good friend, contacted me for this purpose. Since I was the then head of the Films Division, Eastern Region, it was easy for me to get in touch with all the artists in West Bengal."

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"So, I contacted Sreelekha for this purpose. If Ranjith wanted her to audition for the film, like he has claimed now, she could have easily sent a video of her audition to Kerala. Instead, she came to Kerala, because they were particular she should act in the movie,” Joshy explained further. He added that he felt guilty when Sreelekha first confided in him about the incident shortly after it occurred.