Rajkumar Hirani accused of sexual assault
According to a Huffpost India article, the woman claimed that Hirani sexually abused her on more than one occasion over a six-month period between March and September 2018
MUMBAI: Film maker Rajkumar Hirani has been accused of sexual assault by a woman who worked with him in his 2018 ilm Sanju. He has denied the allegation.
According to a Huffpost India article on Sunday, the woman claimed that Hirani sexually abused her on more than one occasion over a six-month period between March and September 2018.
The 56-year-old ilm maker has denied the allegations. A statement issued by his lawyer Anand Desai dubbed the allegations “false,” “mischievous,” “scandalous,” “motivated” and “defamatory.”
The woman made the charge in an email dated Nov.3, 2018 to Hirani’s Sanju co-producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra. She also marked the mail to Vidhu’s wife and ilm journalist Anupama Chopra as well as to Hirani’s co-writer Abhijat Joshi, said the Huffpost India article.
IANS tried reaching out to Hirani, Anupama Chopra and Abhijat Joshi but got no response.
The woman claimed that Hirani irst made a sexually suggestive remark to her on April 9, 2018 and then sexually assaulted her at his home-cum-ofice.
She wrote: “I remember forming these words on my lips - ‘Sir. This is wrong... Because of this power structure. You being the absolute power and me being a mere assistant, a nobody - I will never be able to express myself to you.” The complainant said Hirani used to be her father igure.
When contacted by Huffpost India, she said she was maintaining a facade of normalcy regarding Hirani’s behaviour during work because her father was ill and she needed to hold on to her job.
While Vidhu Vinod Chopra did not respond to the complainant’s allegations, his wife Anupama conirmed to Huffpost India that the woman had shared an account with her, that Vinod Chopra Films (VCF) has since set up a committee to address complaints of sexual harassment.
Hirani has made popular ilms like the Munna Bhai series, 3 Idiots and PK.
“I had no choice but to be polite to him. It was unbearable but the reason I endured it all, until I couldn’t, was because I didn’t want my job to be taken away from me, and work to be questioned. Ever.
“I was worried that if I left midway, it would be impossible to ind another job in this industry if he were to speak badly about my work. Because if Hirani said I wasn’t good, everybody would listen. My future would be in jeopardy,” she said.