“Are we girls, or things to play with?” she asked.

She was then whisked off by the police to face possible charges of public nudity.

India makes more movies than anywhere else. Bollywood and its smaller cousins (such as Mollywood, Tollywood and Gollywood — all named after the areas where the films are shot or the languages they use) represent a hugely influential industry.

Though the #MeToo movement has not shaken society in India the way it has in the United States, several Indian actresses, after abuse allegations were made against the American producer Harvey Weinstein, stepped forward to complain about a pervasive culture of sexual harassment.

The allegations included claims they had been groped, propositioned and forced to demean themselves to get work. Ms. Reddy, 28, has been one of the most vocal. In recent days, she has lobbed serious accusations against powerful men in the film business.

After videos and pictures of a topless Ms. Reddy spread quickly on the internet, the question turned to what would be the impact. Ms. Reddy is not widely known across India, and she staged her protest in Hyderabad, a big city in the south-center of the country, but not nearly as important for the movie industry as Mumbai.