Mumbai-based casting director Tess Joseph, in a Tweet posted on Monday, accused Malayalam actor-politician Mukesh of sexually harassing her 19 years ago during the filming of Kodeeswaran, the Malayalam edition of popular reality show Kaun Banega Crorepati, in Chennai.
Joseph recounted that the incident happened at Hotel Le Meridien where the crew members were put up. Joseph, who was the director of the show, was the only woman member of the crew. Mukesh, a popular lead actor in Malayalam cinema, was the host of the show. In her tweet, she said that Mukesh called her room several times, and even asked the hotel management to move her to a room next to his. She also accused the hotel authorities of compliance. She added that it was her boss, author-politician Derek O’Brien, who came to her help. Joseph has worked with a number of Hollywood Studios for movies such as Lion, The Namesake and Darjeeling Private Limited.
I was 20 years old quiz directing #koteeswaran when the mallu host #mukeshkumar called my room multiple times and then changed my room to beside his on the next sch. My then boss @derekobrienmp spoke to me for an hour & got me out on the next flight. 19 yrs on thank you Derek.
— Tess Joseph (@Tesselmania) October 9, 2018
I was the only woman in a crew of men. One night when the calls where never ending I stayed in my colleague room. And @LeMeridien chennai you are the worst for being enablers when I asked you why my room floor was different so nonchalantly I was told Mr Kumar asked for it.
— Tess Joseph (@Tesselmania) October 9, 2018
However Mukesh, in an interaction with media, said that the allegation was baseless, and that he has no memory of meeting Joseph. A legislator of the ruling CPI(M), Mukesh is also one of the most prominent members of AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes).
In the past few days, a number of journalists, politicians and people from the film industry have been called out by women on social media for sexually harassing them in the past. The men accused of sexual misconduct include actor Alok Nath, lyricist Vairamuthu and filmmaker-actor Rajat Kapoor. The names of several journalists have also come up in the Me Too movement that has taken social media in India by storm.
