'Meet outside, for other things': Tamil actress alleges harassment by TV exec

Chennai: Amid growing furore over the abduction and harassment of a leading south Indian actress, a noted Tamil actress on Monday claimed that a TV channel executive had spoken to her in an "improper" manner.

Kollywood actress Varalakshmi Sarathkumar said women's safety has become a joke as she rallied behind the fellow actress who faced the harassment in Kochi.

Recalling a meeting with the programming head of a "leading" TV Channel, Sarathkumar claimed that towards the end he had asked her if they can "meet outside".

"When questioned if it was regarding some other work 'his answer (said with a smug like it was the norm) no no! Not work.. For other things," she tweeted.

"I hide my shock and anger and tell him Sorry! Please leave. His last words on the topic was So.. That's all? and he smiled and walked away," she posted on Twitter without specifying when the incident occurred.

"I am an actress. It does not mean that just because I lead a glamourous life on screen that I deserve to be spoken with disrespect. It's my life, my body and my wish," she said.

She said incidents of rape, molestation, manhandling and disrespect to women were rising "at alarming rates". Varalakshmi, daughter of actor-turned politician Sarathkumar, has acted in several Tamil films.