From MMS scam to sponsors seeking sexual favours: Ranjini Haridas opens up about ill experiences in her career

Ranjini Haridas is one of the most sought-after anchors in Malayalam television. Starting off with Star Singer, she has been a sensation on Malayalam TV. Be it TV shows, stage events, interviews or vlogs, she has her own swag that grabs attention. This time, she is creating a buzz with her revelations about the ill experiences she has faced over her 30-year career. From the MMS scam to sponsors seeking sexual favours, she opened up about it all in a video shared on her online streaming channel.

In the video, Ranjini shared one of her experiences while she was hosting a popular event in Dubai.

"When I am in Dubai, I often prefer to stay with my friend rather than in a hotel. So, when I came for the event, some of the artists told me that they had been getting calls and hearing knocks on the door during odd hours. Then the coordinator told me that one of the sponsors wanted to take me out for lunch. I went with him and finished lunch, and soon he said that he could take me shopping and buy me a brand-new phone. Trust me, since I was new to the industry, I didn't quite understand his intentions. I innocently said no and came back for the event," she said.

Further, she narrated an incident involving the same sponsor taking the whole team out for a shady dinner.

"After dinner, they took all of us on a boat for dinner. What was supposed to be a dinner party didn't seem to be so. They had invited a group of their people, and it completely looked like a shady place. I didn't find it right; it felt so cheap. Though no one in the team reacted, I started reacting badly. I told them that I would call the police. I understood that no one was going to save me; I had to stand up for myself. I am sure their intentions weren't good when they took us there," she added.

Further in the video, Ranjini opened up about the first direct approach she faced during an ad shoot.

"It was during one of my ad shoots in Kannur. After the shoot, when I was about to leave, the person came to my room with the money. When I bid goodbye, he asked, 'Are you going? How about...?' I was so confused and asked him what he meant. He replied that he wanted me to sleep with him and said that the coordinator had told him it was part of the deal. I was shocked, and I took him to the same coordinator and confronted them both," Ranjini said.

Ranjini further shared her befitting reply to the approach.

"I demanded to go to his home because I wanted to say this to his family. I remembered him mentioning that he wanted to go back and have dinner with his family. I made him get into my car, and we drove to his home. During the journey, he pleaded with me to let him go, but I wanted to teach him a lesson. But when I reached his home, it was a shocker for me. I was warmly welcomed by his family — his mother, wife, sister, and the whole joint family. I decided not to ruin his family life and came back. I hope he learnt his lesson," she said.

In the same video, Ranjini also opened up about being labelled a 'slut'.

"Back then, people couldn't accept an independent woman earning for herself. The only way they could think of her making money was by sleeping around. Let me tell you, the easiest thing to do is sleep around and make money. But the real challenge is not to do it! I have been called a whore or a slut my whole life, just because I have broken all traditions by choosing not to marry or have kids," she said.

Interestingly, she also reacted to one of her viral throwback photos in the video.

"I hope everyone remembers the photo of me holding a shot glass with my boyfriend in a pub. Oh God! The buzz that picture created. People kept accusing me of drinking. Well, yeah, I was a grown-up; I was at a pub, I had a boyfriend — big deal!" she said.

One of the most controversial moments in Ranjini Haridas's career was a video that went viral. It was alleged that the video, a sensual MMS, belonged to Ranjini.

"'Ranjini Haridas's MMS' — many celebrated it. I have said this before too: it was not me! That was a beautiful girl who had gorgeous assets. I wished I was that girl," she joked. "Fools, that was not me. 'Ranjini Haridas with a bunch of Arabs', they said!" she clarified.