'Punnagai Mannan' revolves around a guy who lives a tragic life after his girlfriend commits suicide, and later, he meets someone new and falls in love again.
Rekha had just completed her 10th standard when she played Kamal Haasan's first lover in the movie. In the suicide scene, both Kamal and Rekha jump off a cliff to commit suicide after sharing a lip-lock, but Kamal survives the attempt.
In a recent interview, Rekha reveals that she was forcefully kissed by Kamal in the scene - and it was instructed by the director himself.
"Director Balachander asked me to close my eyes right before the suicide scene, and he asked Kamal to follow his instructions. Then, suddenly Kamal lip-locked forcefully. I told them many times that my dad won't agree to such things, but it just fell on deaf ears" she recalled.
She revealed that she was then new to the industry and was petrified to think about the consequences of kissing a guy on-screen.
"I've spoken about this incident in interviews before, but many refused to believe my side of the story. Both K. Balachander and Kamal got very angry with me as well. But I have to reveal the truth. He did kiss me without my consent," revealed the actress.
Watch her interview here:
WTF!
— Sangeeth (@Sangeethoffcl) February 23, 2020
This would have made the headlines if it happened in Hollywood. This is proper 'sexual harassment at the workplace'. Worst is, they've even planned it.
But since it's Kamal saaaaar and Balachandar saaaaar, it should be fine I guess. pic.twitter.com/alPAC7eXJy