#MeToo Effect: Jackie Shroff to replace Nana Patekar in HF4, Will Zain Durrani be thrown out of VVC's next and more...

1.Housefull 4: Jackie Shroff to step in to Nana Patekar’s role?

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Nana  Patekar, who had just about begun shooting for Housefull 4 (HF4) in  Rajasthan, opted out of it in the wake of the #MeToo Movement following  Tanushree Dutta’s allegations of sexual harassment against him. Now, we hear that Jackie Shroff has been roped in his place instead. The shooting of the film had come to a halt when the director Sajid Khan, too, opted out since he was accused of the same by three women. While  Farhad Samji (of Farhad-Sajid fame, director duo of Housefull 3), who is writing the dialogues of HF4 was brought on board to helm it, it was being reported that Sanjay Dutt  and Anil Kapoor, too, were being considered for Nana’s part. 

Our source reveals, “Naseeruddin Shah was also approached for the role after Nana’s exit the film, but he declined it. Now, Jackie dada is playing that part. He will shoot his scenes as scheduled. The few scenes that Nana had done will be re-shot later.”

2.Will Zain Durrani be thrown out of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's next after Saloni Chopra's accusations?

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In the wake of the #MeToo Movement, a lot of names have been revealed. Saloni Chopra has openly called out her ex-boyfriend Zain Khan Durrani for physically assaulting her while in a relationship. Following this, director Onir, who launched Zain with his film Kuch Bheege Alfaaz earlier this year, also lashed out at the actor and even went on record claiming that he had put forward his grievances and reportedly informed Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who has cast Zain for their next production. While Chopra’s company house maintains that they are willing ‘to take harsh action against Zain’, they also allegedly claimed that they have already ‘shot a substantial portion’ of the movie. An inside source tells us, “Although we started filming, we’ve shot only a few scenes with Zain till now. There has been a discussion on this and most probably, he will be asked to leave the project.” But we will still wait for an official confirmation on this. 

3.IT’S NOT MORALS OR PRINCIPLES

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…in many cases, it seems to be pure commerce 

Bollywood’s #MeToo Movement has been going great guns. Yesterday, Yash Raj Films sent out a communication saying they had terminated the services of Ashish Patil, Vice President, Y-Films, as his name is currently on the list of people from showbiz who are being investigated for “sexual harassment”. On another note, several top-notch officials from film corporations are also being investigated after women have taken to social media platforms to complain about heinous crimes like rape, molestation and forced substance abuse. Talking of the recent list of persons who have been disgraced and asked to leave projects, an insider says, “Foreign corporations (like Disney, Fox Star, Viacom18) are bankrolling a lot of big Bollywood movies. Some of them have reportedly communicated to B-Town filmmakers that they will pull out their investments completely from the movies that they are funding if guys like Sajid Khan, Vikas Bahl, etc. are kept on board. Hence, the producers and A-List actors have quickly distanced themselves from the tainted men. It is more a commercial decision than a moral one. By distancing themselves from working with the guys on the alleged list of sexual harassers, the producers have made sure their investments are safeguarded. 

Another interesting point to note is that global digital platforms (like Netflix, Amazon, etc) have also communicated to the film community that they stand to lose if they have any persons who have been named in the #MeToo Movement and are proven offenders. Once again, it is not NECESSARILY the conscience of the movie fraternity at play as much as the commercial considerations.” 

Honestly, in many cases, it is pot calling the kettle black. A senior actor, who was on a prominent news channel giving his view on the #MeToo Movement, is someone who has a terrible reputation himself. In fact, this 70-plus actor, who was respected as a tutor at one point, has so many skeletons in his own closet that it is a wonder that the channel didn’t investigate his background before asking him to offer his views.

4.Celebrity manager Anirban Blah asked to step down in wake of sexual harassment allegations in #MeToo

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Anirban Blah who was constantly bragging about managing the careers of Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Hrithik Roshan found himself without a portfolio yesterday when his talent agency asked him to step down. Blah has four to five girls talking about his despicable behaviour towards women who approached him to handle their careers. This was reported widely in the media and the talent agency lost no time in replacing him.

Stating that in lieu of an article on Blah published in the media, the note said, “We have asked Anirban Blah to step aside from his duties, activities and responsibilities at KWAN, its subsidiaries and affiliates with immediate effect.”

5.Guess who: This foreign investor's turning a blind eye to a debutant director who's been accused in #MeToo

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It’s not only people, but an international giant is also guilty of dragging its feet in a sensitive matter. While they stood on their heads to throw OUT one director from a big project saying he was badnaam, the corporation has still not communicated what they are going to do with a second guy who is directing a movie for them with a newbie. This second guy’s name is also on a list of alleged offenders. However, the foreign investor is turning a blind eye to this debutant director’s notoriety. Wonder maamla kya hai?