Tamil singer Swagatha Srinivasan has recently accused a Tollywood music composer of severe sexual harassment and intimidation in a recent podcast. The 35-year-old singer referred to the composer as “Madras’s Epstein” during a conversation on a YouTube channel, revealing that she had moved to Rishikesh from Chennai due to alleged harassment by the music director. She claimed that the alleged harassment occurred after the music director had exploited her emotionally and financially.
Although Srinivasan did not name the composer, she alleged that he had harassed several other women in a similar manner. According to the police, Srinivasan had filed a complaint that the music director had attempted to harass her sexually during a film shoot, taking her to a car in a secluded area. Srinivasan claimed that the incident occurred in the music director’s studio, where she felt safe, but was subsequently blackmailed and intimidated.
The singer alleged that the music director had taken advantage of her trust, pretending to be a mentor, and then emotionally manipulating her. She also claimed that he would delay returning money borrowed from her, thus gaining control over her. Srinivasan stated that several other women had also reached out to her, sharing similar experiences of harassment by the music director.
Tollywood actress Devi Sri Prasad, on the other hand, accused actor Nishchith Puri and co-star Sudeep Sanjeev of sexism and derogatory behavior in the movie “Good” (Telugu). Srinivasan claimed that other women had sent her messages sharing their similar experiences, and that the music director had even made secret videos of children in his studio. The singer stated that she was subsequently defamed, faced false allegations of theft, and suffered damage to her reputation. She also accused the music director’s family of being involved in the harassment.
Srinivasan stated that she was deeply affected by the incident, became isolated, and sought treatment. She claimed that she had sought advice from lawyers and high-ranking officials but did not file a formal complaint as no one supported her. The singer now intends to take legal action to prevent other women from facing similar situations.
The Mumbai Police have arrested actor Nadeem Khan for allegedly harassing a domestic worker for over two years. Srinivasan had previously spoken out about her experiences of harassment on social media in 2022 and 2023.
