India’s #MeToo campaign rage is spreading like a wildfire in the Tamil film industry as well. Filmmaker Leena Manimekalai on Sunday, alleged that Tamil film director Susi Ganesan sexually harassed her back in 2005.
Manimekalai had written a Facebook post last year detailing the horrifying incident without naming the director. On Sunday, she re-shared the post and identified her predator Ganesan, reported Scroll.
In the post, Manimekalai claimed that Ganesan had offered to drop her home in his car and then “forced her to accompany him to his apartment”.
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“He took the mobile phone that was on my lap, switched it off and threw it. He threatened me, asking me to come to his apartment. I was immobilised with shock for a while. First, I spoke softly and asked him to drop me immediately. I threatened to break the car door. What should have been a 20-minute ride to Vadapalani, witnessed a 45-minute roaming of the streets of Chennai,” she wrote.
He only let her go after she took out a knife to protect herself. “Even then, I only threatened to harm myself. Because I had a knife, I got home that night,” she said.
Manimekalai did not report the incident to the police or to media house that she was working with. “This experience belittled me. I was scared my parents will not allow me to work in broadcast media,” she said.
She added, “Since last week, I have not been able to concentrate on anything. Why wouldn’t I write? I thought I should break the silence in Tamil Nadu. I have been surrounded by a lot of offenders. I was angered by all that I was reading and I wanted to write for my own self, to seek closure, to heal. To enable more voices if possible,” reported The News Minute.
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Reacting to the accusations, Ganesan shockingly tried to attack Manimekalai’s character. He and called her a “modern woman” who was “immoral”. He wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday, “She abuses men for benefits in return,” alleging that she had accused him for revenge. He demanded an apology and said. “I will be filing both civil and criminal defamation cases against her in court.”
Actor Siddharth, who has been speaking up in support of the #MeToo movement and has lent support to survivors like Manimekalai, alleged that that Ganesan called and threatened his aged father with ‘dire consequence’.
#SusiGanesan spoke to my aged father on the phone and threatened us with dire consequences if I continue to stand by Leena. So I just want everyone to know that now more than ever… I Stand With #LeenaManimekalai. Stay strong and fight the good fight sister! #MeToo #TimesUp https://t.co/aMNfxXm46M
— Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) October 17, 2018