Thiruvananthapuram: The CPM is facing a fresh storm after Chennai-based businessman Muhammad Sharshad levelled allegations against party state secretary MV Govindan’s son, Shyamjith. But in a dramatic turn, filmmaker Ratheena PT, director of Mammootty-starrer Puzhu, has accused Sharshad, her former husband, of harassment and fraud. The two divorced in 2020.

In a detailed social media post, Ratheena said her name was being dragged into the controversy involving Sharshad and the CPM leadership. She clarified that the matter was not political but tied to her “long-standing personal disputes” with him.

“I have been constantly threatened that I would be hounded by the media like Saritha and Swapna, denied films, and shamed to the point where I cannot even step out in public,” she wrote, adding that she had already produced such threats, including voice messages, before court.

Ratheena accused Sharshad, who is already convicted of domestic violence and facing non-bailable charges, of sustained physical, mental, and financial abuse. “I ended the relationship in 2020, but he kept harassing me and tried to sabotage my film career. Only after the court granted me a protection order in 2021 could I begin my first film,” she said.

She further alleged that Sharshad cheated her family by taking a loan with her father as guarantor and later defaulting, pushing their home into attachment proceedings. “We had to arrange ₹2.65 crore. He vanished, leaving us in crisis. Finally, my family and friends raised the money by selling gold and property,” she said, adding that Sharshad even lodged a complaint against the bank after the dues were cleared.

According to her, the family court granted divorce in November 2024, awarding her custody of their children and ordering Sharshad to repay ₹2.20 crore within six months. “Till today, he has not complied. He has not even provided the children’s maintenance or returned their passports and ID cards,” she alleged.

She also claimed that Sharshad threatened to spread false stories about her family if she did not withdraw her domestic violence case. “Calling him a “businessman” itself is misleading—it is only a cover for swindling funds. His “business model” is to join others’ ventures, study their market, cheat them, and then start a new venture with the stolen funds. Once the money runs out, he repeats the cycle elsewhere. He has not only cheated me but also many others in Chennai, Dubai, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, and Kochi. Several people have already told me this,” she alleged.

Sharshad has filed a complaint with CPM general secretary MA Baby alleging financial irregularities within the party. He claimed that documents he had submitted to the Polit Bureau were later used as evidence in a ₹10-crore defamation case filed against him in a Delhi court by London-based businessman Rajesh Krishna. According to Sharshad, it was Shyamjith who passed on his petition to Rajesh.

Reacting on social media on Monday, Rajesh alleged that Sharshad began a smear campaign against him only after the defamation suit was filed. He added that the controversial letter at the centre of the row had first been shared by Sharshad himself on Instagram and Facebook, before being deleted.

Sharshad further alleged that the CPM leadership ignored his complaint and that state secretary MV Govindan even blocked his number after he raised concerns about Govindan’s son’s role. He also claimed that both the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax Department have now taken up his charges. Dismissing the allegations, Govindan on Monday described Sharshad’s claims as “nonsense.”