Kannada and Tamil actor Sanjjanaa Galrani has apologised to director Ravi Srivatsa, three weeks after she raised allegations of harassment by him during the shooting of the film Ganda Hendathi.
The actor had accused the director of coercing her into enacting intimate scenes she was uncomfortable in the film which released in 2006. In a Facebook Live posted on October 17, she detailed her ordeal in completing the shooting of her debut film.
However, despite of offering an apology, Sanjjana continues to stand by the allegations she raised in October. But, she says that she wants to move on from the issue and issued the apology following advice from actor Ambareesh. "All that I have spoken in the Me Too allegation is true but to get rid of the headache and the ruckus this has created, I have apologised," Sanjjanaa told TNM.
The allegations had led to a controversy with Ravi Srivatsa complaining to the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) and the Kannada Film Directors Association that Sanjjana had tarnished his image with false allegations. He had also questioned the reason for her silence for twelve years and demanded an apology from Sanjjana for the allegations.
Initially, Sanjjana had lashed out at the director for demanding an apology but it appears that she has been coerced into making one after the issue snowballed into a controversy. Veteran actor Ambareesh stepped in as "peacekeeper" and urged Sanjjanaa to offer an apology.
Sanjjana apologised to Ravi in Ambareesh's residence in the presence of director Roopa Iyer, producer Rockline Venkatesh, association president Nagendra Prasad among others. "Ambareesh sir insisted to close this matter diplomatically, so I decided to apologise to maintain decorum in the industry," she added.
Sanjjanna has acted in more than 40 films across three languages -- Kannada, Tamil and Telugu.