After Tanushree Dutta accused veteran actor Nana Patekar of sexually Harassing her 10 years ago, #MeToo campaign has started in India with several women opening about the wrong done to them
The #MeToo movement is intensifying evevry minute with several victims coming out and naming the perpetrators.
After Tanushree Dutta accused actor Nana Patekar of sexual misconduct on the sets of the 2008 film Horn Ok Pleasss, a wave of strength can be felt amongst people, especially in Bollywood.
The #MeToo storm has intensified with more women recounting their experiences of sexual harassment in the entertainment and media industry.
After Nana Patekar, names like filmmaker Vikas Bahl, singer Kailash Kher, actor Rajat Kapoor, sanskari babuji Alok Nath and AIB comedians- Utsav Chakraborty, Gursimran Khamba, Tanmay Bhatt, have cropped up.
While Nana Patekar has refuted the allegations against him, Rajat kapoor has apologised for his alleged misconduct. AIB, on the other hand is facing uncertainty after two members distanced themselves from the comedy group under a cloud.
Let's briefly look at all the celebrities who are trapped in the #MeToo storm.
1. Nana Patekar
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In 2008, 'Aashiq Banaya Apne' actress Tanushree Dutta had accused veteran actor Nana Patekar of misbehaving with her during the shoot of a special dance number on the sets of 'Horn OK Please'. The controversy had an adverse affect on Tanushree's filmy career. She treaded the spiritual path and soon relocated to the US. She was last seen on the big screen in 'Apartment' (2010).
She recently returned to India after a sabbatical of eight years and her fight with the industry still seems to continue. In a recent interview with Zoom, Tanushree named and shamed Nana Patekar for making her uncomfortable to an extent that she had to eventually opt out of the song. She also claimed that the senior actor has always had a history of assaulting women.
2. Kailash Kher
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Even popular folk and Bollywood singer Kailash Kher was accused of sexual harassment by a female photo journalist (Natasha Hemrajani).
In an elaborate Twitter thread, the lady spoke at length about an incident where she and her colleague were asked by their employer to click pictures of Kailash Kher at his home for an interview, where the singer sat close to them (as much as possible). He also kept putting his hands on their thighs (on the skin above their skirts).
The ladies were appalled and left as soon as possible.
The journalist who wrote the account on Twitter said that she discussed with her colleague the idea of writing the interview from the point of view of an unwelcome sexual molestation, but she said the paper would never publish it because it would be libel (even if we were both witnesses).
3. Vikas Bahl
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After Phantom Films, co-founded by Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Vikas Bahl and Madhu Mantena, headed for a dissolution, it came to light that the major reason behind this were the sexual harassment allegations against Vikas Bahl.
Later, Anurag also confirmed that Vikas was a perpetrator and that we was ill-advised to not take an action against him.
Even actress Kanagana Ranaut went out to say that Vikas Bahl's behavious on and off the sets of 'Queen' was inappropriate. She said, "But still every time we met, socially greeted and hugged each other, he'd bury his face in my neck, hold me really tight and breathe in the smell of my hair. It took me great amount of strength and effort to pull myself out of his embrace. He'd say 'I love how you smell K'. I could tell something is wrong with him."
4. Rajat Kapoor
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The 'Kapoor & Sons' actor Rajat Kapoor was also accused by a two women of misconduct.
Journalist Sandhya Menon recently shared a post, wherein two women had accused the actor of harassing them.
One of the two women is a journalist, who stated that while she was interviewing Rajat Kapoor on the phone, he misbehaved and asked her questions such as ' are you as sexy as you sound', also inquired about her body measurements.
Another woman narrated an incident where the actor would not stop calling her for a film's shoot and asked her if she knew an empty house. Apparently, Rajat wanted to shoot for a film with her in an empty house.
5. All India Bakchod
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All India Bakchod (AIB) commedian, Utsav Chakraborty, who was also part of All India Bakchod (AIB), had send explicit images to several women, including minors on social media. He has been accused of asking minors to send ‘nudes’.
The minor shared examples of how “Chakraborty had in fact sent sexually explicit messages to her and to many other women.” The twitter threat led to a number of women sharing their stories, prompting AIB to release a statement.
However, the group has also been called out for their statement by the user, who had in her thread said she had spoken to the founding members of the team, but to no avail.
Days after, Utsav was accused of misconduct, co-founders Tanmay Bhat and Gursimran Khamba too have been accused of mental harassment by an anonymous woman, who knew them on a personal level.
Following the allegations, AIB has put them on leave and relieved them of their duties until an investigation is done.
6. Alok Nath
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The most recent one to join the bandwagon of perpetrators is Alok Nath.
Noted TV writer, producer and director, came out with an elaborate account of not just being harassed by the male lead actor of her yesteryear hit show 'Tara', but also being allegedly raped by him. Though, she hasn't named the actor directly, all the references that she has used to describe him ('sanskaari' actor among others) seem to be clearly pointing towards our very own sanskaari babuji Alok Nath.
