'He handed me money and asked me to spend night with him, I have been called a prostitute'; Ranjini Haridas opens up

Popular television host and media personality Ranjini Haridas, once one of the most recognised faces in Malayalam television, has opened up about some of the difficult experiences she faced during her career. Ranjini became a household name through the hit reality show 'Star Singer'. Apart from appearing in a few films, she is now active on YouTube, where she shares interviews and personal experiences with her followers.

In a recent video on her channel, Ranjini spoke about incidents of harassment and inappropriate behaviour she encountered while working in the entertainment industry. She also recalled an incident in which a client asked her to spend the night with him after an ad shoot.

Ranjini's words

"At the age of 18, I travelled to countries like the UK, Switzerland, and Germany to do stage shows. The appreciation and memories from my first show are among my best experiences. The first time I went to Dubai for a program was with Jayaram and Parvathy. It was a wonderful experience. Encouraged by that, I accepted another program, but that turned out to be a bad experience. There were occasions when people invited me out with ulterior motives. Some would ask me out for dinner and then create uncomfortable situations. Those were unpleasant experiences.

I will never forget an incident that happened when I travelled to Kannur for an ad shoot. After the shoot was over, I informed the organisers that I was leaving. Someone handed me my payment, and as I was preparing to depart, the client came to my room. Just as I was about to leave, he asked, 'Are you leaving? Isn't there something else?' When I asked what he meant, he said that I should spend the night with him, and this was one of the reasons I had been invited for the assignment.

It was the first time anyone had said something like that to me so directly. I was furious, but instead of reacting on the spot, I took him straight to the coordinator and confronted both of them about it. They were visibly embarrassed and struggled to respond. The man had invited me to his house after the shoot. I decided that I would go. All the way there, he kept apologising, but I still went with him.

When I arrived, I saw that he lived in a joint family with his wife, mother, children, and other relatives. Even though they welcomed me warmly and treated me with affection, my anger towards him did not go away. I did not tell them anything about what had happened, but before leaving, I gave him a piece of my mind.

During my time in the modelling industry, I have been called a prostitute. Many people assume that women like us earn money by sleeping with different people. They think entertainment is an easy profession. In reality, it is difficult to make a living through hard work. Even then, I still wonder how he found the courage to ask me something like that," Ranjini said.