Tanushree Dutta, by accusing Nana Patekar of sexual harassment and abuse, speaking in detail about that traumatising experience she had in 2008 almost 10 years ago, has set the social media ablaze.
In an interview with Zoom TV, Dutta spoke about how she was filming for a song for the 2009 movie called Horn ‘Ok’ Pleassss and was apparently harassed by the lead actor Nana Patekar.
Talking about the Me Too Movement in this context, she berated the Bollywood industry for staying silent on this matter and not taking some action then and there.
She said that, “The thing is that our country has become so hypocritical, and people constantly ask why #MeToo movement is not happening in India, it won’t happen unless and until you’ll acknowledge what happened with me in 2008.”
Dutta further added that, “Everybody saw what happened, but the memory and the popular perception of it is that ‘Tanushree Dutta spoke up against harassment and then she was no more.’ The entire industry saw what happened, but there was not one word of condemnation from anybody. Every single person in this country remembers my incident and this was something on national TV for three days, but even today there’s a stoic silence on that. So, my question is, ‘Who is going to believe these hypocrites?’ These are the people who stand up and raise their voice against women empowerment.”
What Was The Incident Really?
Tanushree Dutta, who made her debut with the controversial and bold movie Aashiq Banaya Aapne, was cast for a song in the 2009 film Horn ‘Ok’ Pleassss, that had Nana Patekar in the lead along with Rimi Sen.
But according to Dutta, Patekar sexually harassed or abused her during the shoot of the song, which ultimately led to her quitting the project altogether.
As stated in the interview, 4 people were main in this incident, Nana Patekar, producer Samee Siddiqui, choreographer Ganesh Acharya, and director Rakesh Sarang.
Apparently, Patekar was adamant on filming an intimate scene during the song with Dutta even though according to the contract it was just a solo sequence of the actress. From the first day itself, as per Dutta, Patekar was misbehaving with her and made her feel uncomfortable by grabbing her arms and pushing her around.
Even though Patekar wasn’t supposed to be on the sets in the first place, still he slowly kept coming closer and closer to her and post grabbing her arms, he apparently even told the choreographers to step aside and that he will show Dutta the dance sequence.
Dutta, coming from a non-filmy background had not really experienced something like this before, but realised quickly the kind of people she was dealing with.
As stated in the interview, when she complained about Patekar to the people at the set, and told them to keep him away from her, since allegedly he was bothering her, instead of listening to her concerns, Patekar came forward and demanded that he wanted an intimate step with her.
Dutta in the interview said that, “Matlab ladki nayi actress hai, young actress hai, to chahe zaroorat ho na ho, uske saath intimate scene karlo. To ye to apni tharak nikalne ka ek side ka tarika hai.”
While they were trying to solve this matter, the producer, director and Patekar, allegedly called the MNS party and the media to the set. The goons from the party then attacked Dutta’s car as they were leaving the set. Even the producers as said in the interview, told the guards to close the gates of the studio, so she could not leave.
It was only when the police came in response to all the action that was going on, that the gates were opened and Dutta was able to leave.
Back in 2008, there were even some news reports of this but in the media it was portrayed that the ‘actress was giving problems’.
Rakhi Sawant was afterward brought in to replace Tanushree Dutta for the song.
Read More: A Quick Look At How Celebrity Sexual Harassment Got Exposed Internationally (Pictures)
Former Aaj Tak Reporter Backs The Claim
While no one really supported Tanushree Dutta back then, after the issue has resurfaced, Janice Sequeira a journalist has posted on her social media about how she was an eye-witness to the incident.
Sequeira was covering the behind the scenes of the shoot for Aaj Tak and Headlines today as a cub reporter. On her Twitter, she has recounted what happened and backed Tanushree’s claims of the incident.
Some incidents that take place even a decade ago remain fresh in your memory. What happened with #TanushreeDutta on the sets of “Horn Ok Please” is one such incident – I was there. #NanaPatekar
[THREAD]
— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018
“Some incidents that take place even a decade ago remain fresh in your memory. What happened with Tanushree Dutta on the sets of Horn Ok Pleassss is one such incident – I was there.
I was a cub reporter in 2008, assigned by Aaj Tak and Headlines Today to cover the BTS of a song being shot for this film. When I arrived, I was told shooting had been stalled because the actress, Tanushree Dutta was “being difficult.”
I could see Tanushree on set, visibly upset about something. Nana Patekar, choreographer Ganesh Acharya and a man (who I later found was the producer) were having a conversation, while 50-odd dancers sat waiting. The official version was that the “heroine was not cooperating”.
A while later, shooting resumed. Tanushree resumed work, and a couple shots later, Nana Patekar joined her. Not long after that, Tanushree walked off set. Shooting halted again. She locked herself in her vanity van, refusing to come out.
Out of nowhere, goons turned up and began banging against the vanity van door. I was told the producers had called them to set. Cops arrived. Amidst this chaos, I got hold of Nana Patekar. All he said was, “Meri beti jaisi hai”, which didn’t really make any sense at that point.
Eventually, Tanushree’s parents arrived to pick her up. Her car was attacked, the windshield broken. I tried to get in touch with Tanushree to get her version of events. Around midnight, she asked me to come to her place. In tears, she narrated what really happened.
Tanushree told me that after three days of rehearsals, Ganesh Acharya changed every step on the day of shoot. Nana Patekar was never meant to be part of the choreography, but coerced the producers into getting him to shake a leg with Dutta.
Later, she said, a lewd dance step was introduced on the insistence of Nana Patekar, so he could touch her inappropriately. That’s where alarm bells rang, and Tanushree decided to walk off set. What she didn’t expect was the aggression shown by the producers after.
The chat I had with Dutta hours after the incident was identical to the account she’s come out with now. How could a person’s version remain the same a decade later if there wasn’t any truth to it? [Our chat was off-the-record, even though she went on to give interviews later.]
For anyone who’s either going to be ignoring or downplaying Dutta’s account as a desperate call for attention and question why she didn’t speak out earlier – she did. Interviews by Dutta were followed by a press conference by Nana Patekar where she was branded “unprofessional”.
This was a decade ago. It could have possibly been the first instance of a Bollywood actress calling out sexual predators, and her voice was silenced by more powerful men who continued to have flourishing careers. Now she’s found her voice again. Shouldn’t we listen?
Nana Patekar for his part has denied all these allegations and said that, “Tanushree is my daughter’s age and I have no clue about what made her say such things about me. I have been a part of this film industry since the last 35 years and haven’t had anyone saying such things about me ever.”
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: India Today, NDTV, The Indian Express
Other Recommendations:
Is Ekta Kapoor Saying Actors Use Their Sexuality To Get Things Done, Wrong?
