The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) has come out in support of Tanushree Dutta following her charges against Nana Patekar for sexually harassing her on the sets of Horn ok Pleassss in 2008.
The statement, which begins with a quote from Dracula, written by Bram Stoker: “But we are strong, each in our purpose, and we are all more strong together.”
WCC extended its “support and solidarity” to Tanushree Dutta for “coming out fearlessly about the harassment endured at workplace”.
“While many are forced into silence due to lack mechanisms for redressal, her brave stand is a stepping stone towards justice,” the statement read.
Tanushree Dutta, a former finalist of the Miss Universe 2004 pageant and actor, alleged that Nana Patekar sexually harassed her on the sets of a film in 2008. Following the incident, Tanushree walked off the set and refused to come out of her van. When she continues to be treated in the same way, she left the set with her parents in a car, when they were attacked by a mob. A video from 2008 shows Tanushree and her parents inside a car, with a lot of men surrounding the car, shouting slogans and banging the sides soon.
While many people from across the film industry such as Siddharth, Farhan Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap and Priyanka Chopra have expressed their support to Tanushree, senior actors in the industry like Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan have either maintained a stoic silence or have refused to comment, stating that they are not the ones involved in the issue.
Journalist Janice Sequeira wrote in support of Tanushree, as she was an eyewitness to the incident. The sequence of events was also corroborated by the film’s Assistant Director Shyni Shetty.
Tanushree has also alleged that Vivek Agnihotri had asked her to remove her clothes in order to provide actor Irrfan Khan with cues on the sets of the movie Chocolate. She said however, Irrfan Khan and Suniel Shetty supported her.
Nana Patekar denied the accusation, and his lawyer has reportedly sent a legal notice to Tanushree, saying that Tanushree’s accusations are false.