News broke on Thursday afternoon that the Mumbai police had filed a closure report in the sexual harassment case against Bollywood actor Nana Patekar. He had been accused by actor Tanushree Dutta for sexually harassing her on the sets of the 2009 film Horn ‘Ok’ Pleassss. Responding to the news, Tanushree expressed disappointment in the “corrupt police force and legal system”, adding that being a woman in India, she was not surprised or shocked.
Tanushree reiterated her lawyer Nitin Satpute’s claims that the statements of their witnesses had not been recorded by the police, who have reportedly filed a B Summary report citing lack of evidence against Nana Patekar to continue the investigation.
She said that she was exhausted fighting alone against a system that was keen on protecting Nana and bullying her and those who spoke up.
Read Tanushree’s full statement below:
“A corrupt police force and legal system giving a clean chit to an even more corrupt person, Nana, who has been accused even in the past of bullying, intimidation and harassment by several women in the film Industry. Our witnesses have been silenced by intimidation and fake witnesses have been put forth to weaken the case. What was the rush to file a B summary report when all of my witnesses have not even recorded their statements yet??
I'm neither shocked nor surprised - being a woman in India this is something we all have gotten used to. I mean, if rape accused Alok Nath got a clean chit and return to movies then surely it was not going to be difficult for harassment accused Nana Patekar to get himself- or shall we say, buy himself a clean chit to continue to bully hapless young women.
But the proof is often in the pudding and a gentle reminder to the Indian public to watch the video of my car being mercilessly attacked and broken while my family and I tried to escape from these monsters on Horn ok Pleassss set 10 years ago.
After this, if you still decide to watch their movies and support them, then it's your bad karma.You are corrupt people with no justice, but God's justice will rain on you some day hopefully, and will avenge all the humiliation, insult, harassment, judgement and trauma I have had to endure in the last 10+ years because of this attitude. That is my hope finally, for a life without hope is like a candle without fire.
I pray that I never have to deal with this kind of toxicity ever again in life. I’m tired of fighting alone against oppressors, bullies and a corrupt system. I have better things to do in life with my talent and skillset and I need to focus on those, but please don’t take this example to mean that you will not be heard when you speak up! Continue to expose these creeps through social media and other platforms so that in future, people would think twice before troubling an innocent young girl.
I still believe, by the way, that I will get justice and victory will be mine!! How… only time will tell.
- Tanushree Dutta”
Tanushree Dutta had, in September last year, accused Nana of sexually harassing her on the sets of the 2009 film Horn ‘Ok’ Pleassss. In an interview to ZoomTV, the actor, who debuted in Bollywood with Aashiq Banaya Aapne also named the film’s producer Samee Siddiqui, director Rakesh Sarang and choreographer Ganesh Acharya, saying they knew about the harassment.
Tanushree was shooting the song Nathani (later performed in the film by Rakhi Sawant). According to the contract, Tanushree says, it was supposed to be a solo sequence. However, Nana Patekar came to the set and allegedly got an ‘intimate’ step added into the dance sequence with him and Tanushree.