Super 30: Did Vikas Bahl Mock the #MeToo Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Him Through Hrithik Roshan’s Film?
A former employee of his production house, Phantom Films, accused Vikas of sexual misconduct. While it made a lot of headlines then, Vikas denied these allegations and the matter went quiet after a few days.
Super 30 the film was dodged with many controversies, that ended up delaying the movie's release for months. The biggest controversy involved its director Vikas Bahl. Vikas Bahl is known for directing Chillar Party (along with Dangal fame Nitesh Tiwari) and the acclaimed Queen, starring Kangana Ranaut, in the past. He also directed the dud Shaandaar, that starred Alia Bhatt and Shahid Kapoor in the lead. Vikas Bahl Attends Super 30 Screening with Hrithik Roshan Post Getting a Clean Chit in Sexual Harassment Allegation.
However, the director was involved in a huge scandal back in 2017. A former employee of his production house, Phantom Films, accused Vikas of sexual misconduct. While it made a lot of headlines then, Vikas denied these allegations and the matter went quiet after a few days.
However, at the onset of the #MeToo movement in India in 2008 (after Nana Patekar-Tanushree Dutta controversy), this scandal was brought back again. The victim gave an interview with Huffington Post, that provided more details of the incident, and it went viral. Anurag Kashyap, who was one of the founders of Phantom Films, also confirmed the allegations, leading to the dissolving of the production house. Super 30 was their last production.
The movie, starring Hrithik Roshan in the lead, was announced and went into production between the period the scandal broke out first and the #MeToo movement. Following the #MeToo outrage, Vikas Bahl was removed as the director of the film, and was only later reinstated after a panel from the producers cleared him of all charges. There is still an air of unreliability over the findings of this panel, but that's a different story altogether. #MeToo in Bollywood: Ex Phantom Films Employee Files an Affidavit Confirming Sexual Harassment Allegations on Vikas Bahl.
In the interim, it looks like Vikas Bahl has taken a potshot at the allegations he had to face in Super 30. (SPOILERS AHEAD) The movie, based on the life of 'Super 30' founder Anand Kumar, shows how Anand has to fend off the intense rivalry of a competitor when he starts his first 'Super 30' batch. One such tactic that the rival uses sent an 'actress' to Anand's house and accuse him of taking advantage of her. The scene is presented in a comical way with the woman not knowing who the real Anand Kumar is and has her deceit unravel within seconds.
Honestly speaking, we really don't know if such an incident has happened in Anand Kumar's life. Considering the film has taken too many liberties with the real-life story, this scene could either be added for comical purposes or be completely true. But considering the man at the helm of the film is Vikas Bahl, we can't help but read between the lines here! What say, people?
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 12, 2019 10:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).