Atul Kasbekar denies harassment claims
Mahesh Bhupathi. Celebrity photographer and film producer Atul Kasbekar has denied an anonymous allegation that he and Cheat India director Soumik Sen are “sleaze bags who harass women”.
Ellipsis Entertainment — which Kasbekar co-owns — posted a reaction to the allegation from an anonymous Twitter account.
The statement, signed by Kasbekar, Tanuj Garg, Shanti Sivaram, Swati Iyer and Piya Sawhney, reads: “We have not received any complaint of inappropriate behaviour by director Soumik Sen from any female member in our unit of Cheat India during the shooting.”
They pointed out that the banner has produced films such as Neerja and Tumhari Sulu, Chhabra. renowned for their female protagonists.
“While we support the #MeToo movement in India, we urge for people to be wary of unsubstantiated allegations, particularly anonymous ones, which could be mischievously made with ulterior motives. We also hope that these do not dilute the credibility of the ongoing movement,” it added.
The anonymous post said her most recent experience of working with Kasbekar and Sen on Cheat India was “rather disturbing”. She says Sen used to talk about wanting to see her and her female colleagues enact intimate scenes for a web series.