Actress Denies Presence In Sex Tape

After almost 9 months of the scandal breaking out in the open, actress Ranjitha on Friday made her first public appearance to defend herself, denying that she was the woman in the sleaze video with godman Swami Nityananda.

The sting operation, purportedly carried out by a disgruntled follower of the Swami, had surfaced in March 2010, and had led to a public outcry across the country. The video had also sent shockwaves from around parts of the world where the Swami's followers are present.

Ranjitha emphatically said, "I am not the woman in the video," to media persons in Bangalore on Friday. She added that the entire sequence of events, from the day the sleaze tape became public, was fabricated.

The actress also emphatically stated that she was the Swami's follower and would remain so. She also denied knowledge about any sexual activities which have allegedly taken place at the Swami's ashram.

She said that she was not hiding because she was guilty of any wrongdoing, but had left for the United States to avoid the media glare since she was scared.

Defending herself, she said, "I am a woman and just like any other woman, I have my own fears," Ranjitha stated that she was apprehensive about her and her parents' well-being.

She said that she had decided to face the public and media onslaught because she was "tired of being hounded and maligned, with nobody to defend me".

Referring to her acting career, the actress, who had played the lead role in a sizeable number of Tamil and Telugu films, said that she was still receiving offers from the industry. She added that the episode has indeed affected her career adversely.

The actress had on Thursday filed a complaint with the police against Swami Nityananda's driver Lenin, charging him of maligning her image.

Courtesy: INN