NEW DELHI – Actress Sruthi Hariharan Saturday accused prominent southIndian actor Arjun Sarja of “lewd and complete unprofessional behavior”with her during the shooting for a bilingual film in 2016.
The actress, who has essayed roles in several Kannada films, in a post onher Facebook page praising “#metoo” movement has shared about the incidentthat left her “startled” and took a while for her to “recover”.
Sarja, a multi-lingual actor, has said he is pained by the allegation andwould file a case.
Narrating the incident that she alleged happened in 2016, Sruthi said, shewas shooting for a bilingual film which starred Arjun Sarja, a man whosemovies she grew up watching, and was excited about the opportunity.
“The first few days seemed normal, I played his wife in the film and thatday we were to do a romantic scene where we had to hug each other after abrief dialogue. During the rehearsal, we delivered our lines and Mr Arjunhugs me. With no forewarning or permission, he runs his hands intimatelyupand down my back,” her post said.
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“He pulls me closer with my body taut against his and asks the director ifwe could use this idea of foreplay in the scene. I was aghast,” she said inthe post.
Sruthi said she was all for depicting realism in cinema, but this felt”absolutely wrong.” “His intent seemed anything but professional.
I hated that he did it and angry that I didn’t know what to say then,”shesaid, adding that every actor she has worked with before and after ArjunSarja, have never resorted to this.
