Actress Tanushree Dutta recently spoke about the sexual harassment that she experienced on the sets of her 2008 movie, Horn OK Please.
In an interview with Zoom TV, she said that she was harassed by the Horn Ok Please actor, Nana Patekar. She also said that everyone knew about the harassment nobody took any action.
While the people from the industry have been silent on the incident, anchor of the talk show Social Media Star, Janice Sequeira, stepped forward to support the actress.
Janice, in a Twitter series, shared the details of the day, “I was there,” she said. Sharing her account of the incident, Janice said that she was there to cover the behind-the-scenes aspect of the song. On her arrival, she was told that the shooting had been stalled because the actress, Tanushree Dutta was ‘being difficult’.
Read the full thread here
I was a cub reporter in 2008, assigned by AajTak 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, #TanushreeDutta was “being difficult”. #NanaPatekar
— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018
A while later, shooting resumed. Tanushree resumed work, and a couple shots later, #NanaPatekar joined her. Not long after that, Tanushree walked off set. Shooting halted again. She locked herself in her vanity van, refusing to come out.
— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018
A while later, shooting resumed. Tanushree resumed work, and a couple shots later, #NanaPatekar joined her. Not long after that, Tanushree walked off set. Shooting halted again. She locked herself in her vanity van, refusing to come out.
— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018
Later, she said, a lewd dance step was introduced on the insistence of #NanaPatekar, 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.
— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018
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 #NanaPatekar where she was branded “unprofessional”.
— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018
Janice said that their conversation was off-the-record and this could have possibly been the first such incident in Bollywood. Ten years ago Dutta’s voice was silenced but not times have changed, she said.
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? #NanaPatekar
— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018
We all know there are hundreds and thousands of women who are too afraid to speak out against sexual assault and misconduct, lest they be called “unprofessional”. They will only speak up if we appreciate – even laud – the courage of #TanushreeDutta, and not look the other way.
— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018
On Thursday, in response to the allegations, Nana Patekar told Times Now that he is considering legal action and claimed support from the film unit present at the time. “What do you mean sexual harassment? There were 50-100 people on the set with me,” Patekar said, adding, “Will see what I can do legally. It’s a waste talking (to media), you guys will play up anything.” “People can say whatever they want to say, I will keep doing my work,” he added.