It's not easy. Speaking up about your trauma, exhibiting your scars to the world, revealing the dark and hidden parts of you and baring your skin to be looked at with judgement, pity and doubt.
And the task gets even more daunting when you are accusing illustrious and beloved stars of the entertainment industry.
On one side of the scale is your story and your struggles and on the other side is the glamorous aura of the Bollywood celebrity, their huge fan base, adding on to their influence.
However, a display of strength and nerve was shown by a lot of women who fearlessly spoke about the abuses they had to endure by some of the most celebrated names in Hindi Cinema!
Scroll on to be disgusted by these stars’ darker side, when the limelights turn off!:
Nana Patekar: Daulat hai, Shohrat hai, par kya ‘Izzat’ hai?
The iconic ‘Uday bhai’ was accused by Tanushree Dutta of sexual misconduct while shooting for the 2008 film ‘Horn Ok Please’. This ignited the spark for the #MeToo movement in India.
She claimed that he has a history of assaulting and being rude towards women. He beats them, molests them and the press is tight-lipped about such disgraceful occurrences.
Dutta filed a complaint in 2018, but the case closed in 2019, concluding it to be "maliciously false".
Ankit Tiwari : Did he actually make a girl say ‘Ro rahi hu main’?
Tiwari’s ex-girlfriend accused the "Sun Raha Hai Na Tu” singer of raping her multiple times in 2012-2013. The girl accused Ankit of making false marriage promises and taking advantage of her. Getting arrested in 2015, he was acquitted of all charges in 2017.
He claims that he is innocent and that the girl is a pawn by his rivals in a larger conspiracy to frame him.
Anu Malik : “Skirt-lifter & Pant-Dropper ”?
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa judge, Malik has been accused by two contestants - Sona Mohapatra and Shweta Pandit of sexual harassment. Additionally, two more anonymous women have spoken of the music producer's inappropriate conduct.
As per their complaint, he made the singer uncomfortable and then lifted her skirt and dropped his pants. Later, he again harassed her in a deserted ground by unzipping his pants, pulling her by hair and forcing himself on her.
Another survivor stated that he hugged her and she had to push him away. Shweta had earlier spoken of Malik inaptly asking her to kiss him
Claiming their allegations as “false and baseless”, Malik shrugs off all the blame.
Aditya Pan‘choli - opener’?
Pancholi’s ex, Kangna Ranaut accused him of sexually abusing in her early days. She filed an FIR, as Aditya denied all her allegations. Warning Ranaut of taking legal actions against her, Aditya denied all her allegations.
Moreover, Pancholi also faces allegations of raping Pooja Bedi’s 15-year-old maid, while in relationship with Pooja.
Om Puri or rather, ‘Im-Puri’?
Blamed for making sexual advances on his househelp, the late actor, was also accused by his second wife, Nandita, of domestic violence and assault in 2013.
The actor didn't contradict the allegations. In 2016, the couple separated.
In his biography, penned by Nandita, his double sex-escapades with two maids were revealed.
Karim Morani : Modern Day ‘Ra One’?
‘Drugged me and raped me repeatedly for 1.5 years’ says a woman from Delhi, who charged Morani with abuse. The producer of films like Chennai Express and Ra One (2011) was further accused of clicking nude pictures of her and threatening to leak them.
Although Morani surrendered, he was granted bail eventually.
Papon: Dis‘colored’ his morality?
The Voice India Kids judge, Papon had to quit the show after the police lodged a complaint against him for misconduct. The singer put Holi colours on a female contestant and kissed her.
Following this, the Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights filed a complaint against him.
Alok Nath “Not so ‘sanskaari’, afterall”?
Vinita Nanda, a writer and producer, accused Nath of sexually violating her 20 years back. Earlier she indirectly spoke of Nath’s harassment and referred to him as "sanskari" and "television star of that decade". Later she confirmed that she was indeed pointing a finger at Nath.
Eventually, more women held Nath responsible for sexual harassment and misconduct on movie sets.
Shiney Ahuja : No Shine for Shiney?
Denying the charges of rape imputed on him by his househelp in 2009, the actor later admitted to the crime. He was sentenced to 7 years of jail in 2011, but was ‘conveniently’ granted bail.
Although he was set free, his career took a hit and his films fared poorly at the box office.
Kailash Kher
‘Kept his hand on my thigh and told me I was beautiful’ says Sona Mohapatra as she alleged Kher for his inappropriate conduct.
Additionally, Kailash also asked her to ‘skip’ the soundcheck during concert and join him in his room to ‘catch up’
Madhur Bhandarkar doing Balatkar?
Charging him of rape, Preeti Jain filed a complaint against Bhandarkar in 2004. Under the glorious promise of giving her a role in his films , the filmmaker raped her 16 times between 1999 and 2004.
After years of legal procedure, Jain withdrew her complaint. She was later arrested for hiring an assassin to murder Bhandarkar.
Rajat Kapoor
Two women accused the actor of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour. A journalist reveals that in a telephone conversation, Kapoor allegedly asked her if she was "As sexy as she sounds" and "tell me your vital stats."
Kapoor apologised for his actions on Twitter, saying “I am sorry and sad that I was the cause of this hurt to another human being.”
Rajesh Khanna : “Grabber and Kisser”?
Khanna was accused by Anita Advani, his girlfriend, of molesting her when she was 13. Filing a complaint of domestic violence against him, Anita says "Rajesh Khanna suddenly grabbed and kissed me.”
She had dismissed the incident due to her admiration for Khanna. She, being a minor, was too naive to know that she was abused then
Dibakar Banerjee : Directing his Lust stories on sets?
Accusing the director of sexually harassing her on the sets of his film Shanghai, Actor Payal Rohtagi voiced her complaint against Banerjee.
Furthermore, she says that under the excuse of checking if she’d gained weight, he asked her to lift her top. When she did not abide, she was denied a role. Banerjee refused all allegations.
Mahmood Farooqui: “A Rapist”?
Farooqui was arrested in 2015 after being charged of raping a US-based research scholar.
Sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment in 2017, The Delhi High Court acquitted him later under the judgement that a "feeble no" may signal consent.
Hearing these stories is an eye-opener to the dirty shadows of the showbiz industry. It's disheartening to see that a lot of these successful actors continue reigning the industry despite being alleged of sexual offences.
The icons, leveraging their fame and prestige, brush off the blames put on them and roam freely and have glittering careers. While the women who boldly raised their voices and pointed a finger at them are having their names deleted from the credits and disappearing from the industry.
However, these allegations laid the cornerstone for institutional changes in the industry. The need for stricter codes of conduct, awareness programs, and a platform to report molestations have been realized as the need of the hour to nurture a safe atmosphere for everyone.
As audiences, we must be the chorus against injustice and abuse, listen to their stories, set tolerance boundaries, and demand answers from the accused.
Such humiliating acts happen even in the most shining business and we must, together, come out in support for justice and dignity.
Comments