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Inspite of making big claims, can Bollywood ever embrace the #MeToo movement whole-heartedly? To give you some idea on this, check out the stone-faced silence of Bollywood celebs, after Tanushree Dutta gave an explosive interview where she talked about the controversial episode involving veteran actor Nana Patekar. Tanushree had been reliving this painful experience of hers in an interview to Zoom TV's Planet Bollywood. SHOCKING! Tanushree Dutta Accuses Nana Patekar of Behaving Indecently With Her in 2008; Watch Video!
To refresh your memory, the incident happened during the shoot of the 2008 film Horn OK Pleassss. Tanushree Dutta was to make a special song appearance in the film. It was to be a song solely focussed on her, however, the actress alleged that Nana Patekar insisted on being a part of the sequence, and even coaxed the choreographer (Ganesh Acharya) to add an intimate step between the two. Tanushree put her foot down to his demands and even put the shoot to halt, however, the producer, director and the choreographer were in support of Nana. She also alleged that Nana brought in MNS political workers to vandalise her vehicle leaving her scared. Tanushree Dutta Blames Akshay Kumar, Rajinikanth For Failure of #MeToo in India By Working With 'Offender' like Nana Patekar- Watch Video.
As we revisited her allegations, Janice Sequira, Anchor/Creator of Social Media Star on Firstpost, Network 18, had put up a Twitter thread with reference to this incident, In the thread, she mentioned that she was present on the sets as a reporter covering the shoot for the song and she had witnessed what happened there first-hand. Her version collaborates with what Tanushree had to say. Check out her tweets below-
Tweet #1
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
Tweet #2
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
Tweet #3
I could see Tanushree on set, visibly upset about something. #NanaPatekar, 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”.
— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018
Tweet #4
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
Tweet #5
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 #NanaPatekar. All he said was, “Meri beti jaisi hai”, which didn’t really make any sense at that point.
— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018
Tweet #6
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. #NanaPatekar
— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018
Tweet #7
Tanushree told me that after three days of rehearsals, Ganesh Acharya changed every step on the day of shoot. #NanaPatekar was never meant to be part of the choreography, but coerced the producers into getting him to shake a leg with Dutta.
— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018
Tweet #8
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
Tweet #9
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.]
— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018
Tweet #10
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
Tweet #11
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
Tweet #12
Things aren’t the same anymore (even though, they aren’t exactly different either). The #MeToo movement has encouraged women to come out and speak about sexual misconduct in the West. If it’s, in turn, inspiring women in India to speak out, we need to find a way to encourage it.
— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018
Tweet #13
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
Reading both the accounts, it feels really difficult to say that Tanushree is falsely accusing Nana Patekar of misbehaving with her. Back in 2008, when the scandal broke out, Nana Patekar had denied any such incident happening. In a press conference, he had said, "Tanushree is my daughter’s age and I have no clues 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." Now with Tanushree speaking out again about him, will more actresses step up and reveal more cans of worms? Will Bollywood really have a strong #MeToo movement? Hopes are dim but let's wait and watch!
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 26, 2018 03:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
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