Me Too: Director Leena Manimekalai Says She Feels 'Unsafe' Due To Filmmaker Susi Ganesan; Read Her Statement

Author-filmmaker Leena Manimekalai said on December 19 that she was compelled to put it out publicly that she feels "unsafe" because of continued harassment by Tamil film director Susi Ganesan, whom she has accused of sexual misconduct in the past. Manimekalai had accused Ganesan of sexual harassment during the #MeToo movement in 2018.

Actor Amala Paul, who had worked with Ganesan in his 2017 crime thriller Thiruttu Payale 2, had supported Manimekalai and also levelled accusations against the filmmaker for subjecting her to "double-meaning talks, misrepresented offers and unchivalrous bodily contacts" the same year.

Manimekalai shared a statement on Twitter, writing how Ganesan had tried to silence every voice that came out in her support, including that of actor Siddharth. The filmmaker wrote that Ganesan has been targeting her, first through a defamation case and later with an attempt to impound her passport.

Leena Manimekalai Statement

"My sexual harasser Susi Ganesan first threatened actor Siddharth for supporting my #metoo tweet, then both him and his wife threatened actor Amala Paul when she tweeted about his predatory behaviour. Then he filed a defamation case. And followed it up with the gross misuse of criminal justice system to impound my passport. Then he wrote to my Canadian University Administration and Professors to cancel my student visa status. Now he harasses journalists who cover the news and news editors who retweet my tweets," Manimekalai said in her statement.

The author, who has five published poetry anthologies under her name, said her family is concerned for her safety, fearing that Ganesan might harm her "physically".

"My mother frantically calls me every hour, being scared that he can harm me physically as all his tools are running out. I am feeling very unsafe and If something untoward happens to me, I declare here in open that it will be his doing (sic)," she further said in the statement.

#MeToo #safetyforlife #Sexualharassment @chennaipolice_ @CMOTamilnadu pic.twitter.com/sI4LjqdTrC

— Leena Manimekalai (@LeenaManimekali) December 19, 2021

Ganesan had lodged a complaint against Manimekalai, alleging that her social media posts against him during the #MeToo movement had tarnished his image in the eyes of the general public and, thereby, she had committed an offence of defamation under IPC section 500.

On December 3, however, the Madras High Court set aside the order of the Regional Passport Authority impounding Manimekalai's passport and instructed that the travel documents be returned to her within a week.

Justice M Dhandapani, who quashed the September 9 order this year, directed Manimekalai to appear before a lower court, where a defamation case was pending against her and co-operate to complete the trial.

For women in distress help available at, Central Social Welfare Board -Police Helpline: 1091/ 1291, (011) 23317004; Shakti Shalini- women's shelter: (011) 24373736/ 24373737; All India Women's Conference: 10921/ (011) 23389680; Joint Women's Programme: (011) 24619821; Sakshi- violence intervention center: (0124) 2562336/ 5018873; Nirmal Niketan (011) 27859158; JAGORI (011) 26692700; Nari Raksha Samiti: (011) 23973949; RAHI Recovering and Healing from Incest. A support centre for women survivors of child sexual abuse: (011) 26238466/ 26224042, 26227647.