Malayalam actor Mukesh denies harassment allegations

With #MeToo movement gaining momentum in India, a women casting director has accused Malayalam actor and Communist Party of India (CPI) MLA Madhavan Mukesh of harassment.

However, the politician, while denying the allegations, said the case was one of "mistaken identity".

"I am someone who supports the Me too campaign. I want women to react strongly on these issues. Now the allegation has been raised regarding a programme that happened 19 years ago. I don't really know about any such incident. Maybe it's an incident of mistaken identity. I am not able to recollect who this girl is even after seeing the photo" he told the media.

The woman accused Mukesh of inappropriate conduct by way of unwanted calls while working with him in a quiz show. The discomfort ultimately forced her to drop the assignment and return home.

In her statement, she also mentioned that she immediately contacted her boss Derek O'Brien (now TMC leader), who helped her board the next flight home.

In response to the allegation, Mukesh said that O'Brien, being one of his close friends and mentor, would have immediately cut all ties with him if such an incident had happened.

"Even when he came to Kerala recently he invited me for a meeting. He has also said that I am the only one he knows in Kerala," he added.

In her recent tweet, the woman criticised those who were politicising the story and shared her intention of telling the story after 19 years. She wrote, "I want to say - this is my story, not your politics. Those marching to Mukesh Kumar's house and making it political are wrong and I don't want my story to be used by political parties as fodder for their own agendas," the statement said adding that.

The Me Too India continues to gather steam with new names emerging day-by-day. Drawing from the movement against sexual harassment that struck Hollywood last year, this path-breaking campaign was indeed much needed.

From veteran actors like Alok Nath and Nana Patekar, A-list comedians of All India Bakchod (AIB) to the  Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar, several have been accused of sexual harassment.

(with inputs from PTI)