Sruthi Hariharan's tell-all divides Sandalwood

Bengaluru: A day after actress Sruthi Hariharan made a startling revelation accusing multilingual star actor Arjun Sarja of sexual harassment, the Kannada film industry is divided over the #MeToo movement and as well as the Lucia actress.

Addressing a press meet organised by Film Industry for Rights and Equality (FIRE), Sruthi Hariharan revealed that she was receiving threats from the actor's fans. “My cell phone has been continuously ringing ever since yesterday. I haven't received any of these calls but the caller identification application kept showing that it was from Sarja fans. Even messages were being sent to me,” she said. The actress, however, added that she will take this to a logical end.

She also said there were four more women who had made similar allegations against Arjun, but right now they are not in a position to reveal their identity and I hope they will soon find strength to come out in open, which will certainly serve as a warning to others.

FIRE, which is headed by film director Kavitha Lankesh, along with other members actor Chetan, director Roopa Iyer and advocate Jayna Kothari has made it clear that the body has come into force prior to the #MeToo movement, but the recent allegations have made it more relevant.

Jayna Kothari said that sandalwood is the first film industry in the country to set up an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) as per provisions of the law.

Kavitha Lankesh said that the ICC under FIRE will instill hope and strength for victims in the industry.

Reiterating her allegations, actress Sruthi said she has acted alongside several leading actors such as Darshan, Kiccha Sudeep and others, but never faced a situation such as with Arjun, who behaved unprofessionally with her.

The actress refused to divulge information regarding the proofs she has talked about, but claimed she will place them before the court when required.

After Shraddha Srinath came out in support of Sruthi, actor Prakash Raj and scores of others, including Neethu, Sonu Gowda, and others.

However, Arjun's family members, including actor Dhruva Sarja, have come out strongly against Sruthi, which is drawing adverse reaction on social media.

Producers such as Munirathnam, and former KFCC chairman Sa Ra Govindu have criticised the actress and questioned the timing of allegations.