Hirani denies sex assault accusation

FILMMAKER Rajkumar Hirani (pictured) has been accused of sexual assault by a woman who worked with him in his 2018 film Sanju. He has denied the allegation.

According to a Huffpost India article, the woman claimed that Hirani abused her on more than one occasion over a six-month period between March and September 2018.

The 56-year-old has denied the allegations. A statement issued by his lawyer Anand Desai dubbed the allegations as “false, mischievous, scandalous, motivated” and “defamatory”.

In a statement issued soon after the article went viral, Hirani said: “I was completely shocked when these allegations were brought to my notice about two months back.

“I had suggested immediately that it was essential to take this matter to any committee or any legal body.

“The complainant has chosen to go to the media instead.

“I want to very strongly state that this is a false, malicious and mischievous story being spread with the sole intention of destroying my reputation.”

The woman made the charge in an email, dated November 3, 2018, to Hirani’s Sanju co-producer, Vidhu Vinod Chopra. She also sent the mail to Vidhu’s wife and film journalist, Anupama Chopra ,as well as to Hirani’s co-writer, Abhijat Joshi, said the Huffpost India article.

The woman claimed that Hirani first made a sexually suggestive remark to her on April 9, 2018, and then sexually assaulted her.

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.” Hirani has made popular films like the“munna Bhai series, 3 Idiots and PK.