The shooting of a Bollywood film was halted Friday in India following accusations of sexual harassment against the director and an actor, at the request of the star actor who demanded an investigation “Rigorous” about it.
Akshay Kumar, one of the stars of Indian cinema, said she asked for the interruption of Housefull 4 after the director Sajid Khan and one of the stars of the film, the famous actor Nana Patekar, were accused of sexual harassment.
These are charges that Nana Patekar allegedly had an unseemly conduct on a set in 2008, made by Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta, who launched the #metoo movement in India. The movement has since targeted journalists, entertainment industry figures and a minister.
Nana Paketar rejected the charges against her.
“I asked the producers (of the movie Housefull 4 ) … to stop filming while waiting for an investigation. This requires rigorous action, “said Akshay Kumar on Twitter.
Sajid Khan, 46, on his side announced on Twitter that he gave up filming until he could “dispel allegations” of harassment against him and “prove the truth”.
Three women, an actress, an assistant director and a journalist accused Sajid Khan of sexual harassment on Twitter on Thursday.
The actress claimed that the director insisted that she undress during an audition while the reporter stated that he had shown her penis during an interview.
This week, a famous Bollywood couple, actor, producer and director Aamir Khan and his wife, filmmaker Kiran Rao, announced their withdrawal from the movie Mogul following assault charges against director Subhash Kapoor. The latter rejected these accusations.
The positions of Kumar and Aamir Khan could mark a turning point in the world of Bollywood where the big male stars rarely speak for the victims of sexual harassment.