Film Producer Arrested for Sexually Harassing Actress

BENGALURU:
Karnataka Police on Tuesday arrested a Kannada film actor, director, and producer on charges of sexually harassing an actress and blackmailing her using private photos. The arrested person has been identified as Hemanth Kumar. The Rajajinagar Police in Bengaluru initiated action following a complaint filed by the actress.

Hemanth Kumar had acted in, directed, and produced the Kannada movie Richie. According to the police, the accused met the actress in 2022 and later offered her a role in his film Richie. It is alleged that during a film promotion event in Mumbai on August 5, 2023, the accused spiked a mocktail with liquor.

Once the actress lost consciousness, the accused allegedly took her private photos and videos. He later allegedly exploited her physically and began blackmailing her.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Hemanth Kumar and the actress had previously argued after he accused her of skipping publicity events and ignoring his calls.

The accused had also filed a complaint with the Kannada Film Chamber of Commerce, alleging that the actress and her mother had assaulted him. The film body had intervened in the matter at that time.

In her complaint, the actress stated that the accused had agreed to pay her Rs 2 lakh for the role, of which Rs 60,000 was given as an advance. She alleged that he forced her to wear revealing clothes and coerced her to come alone to a private hotel under the pretext of a publicity event.

When she refused, he allegedly threatened to release her uncensored photos on social media and issued life threats to her mother.

Further details are awaited as the police continue their investigation.

Earlier, Kannada TV serial actor Charith Balappa was arrested by RR Nagar police in Bengaluru following a complaint against him by a 29-year-old actress over sexual harassment and blackmail.

The complainant, who has been acting in Kannada and Telugu serials since 2017, became acquainted with the accused in 2023. The accused allegedly insisted on being in a romantic relationship with the complainant and subjected her to mental harassment, death threats, and threats of murder, the police stated.