Tanushree Dutta files sexual harassment complaint against Patekar

Team Udayavani, Oct 7, 2018, 10:04 AM IST

Mumbai: Tanushree Dutta on Saturday filed a police complaint against veteran actor Nana Patekar for allegedly sexually harassing her on the sets of a film in 2008, police said. Dutta, in a recent interview alleged that Patekar had misbehaved with her while filming a song for the 2008 film “Horn Ok Pleasss”.

She has filed the complaint at the Oshiwara police station against Patekar, choreographer Ganesh Acharya, producer Sameer Siddiqui and director Rakesh Sarang. According to Dutta’s advocate Nitin Satpute, the actor will be giving a statement to the police on Sunday.

“We have filed a police complaint, they are investigating the matter and tomorrow (Sunday) they have called her (Dutta) for recording her statement,” Satpute told PTI. He added that a similar complaint had been filed by the actor back in 2008 as well.

In a letter, Dutta said that she lodged her complaint for the registration of FIR under Sections 354, 354 (A), Section 34 and Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

She further said before shooting the song, which was supposed to be a solo song picturised only on her, she had clearly mentioned that she will not enact or perform any lewd, vulgar or uncomfortable steps.

However, on the forth day of the shoot, Patekar’s behaviour was inappropriate as he was grabbing her by the arms and pushing her around on the pretext of teaching her some steps, the complaint said.

“When he was touching me indecently and unnecessary I felt very uncomfortable because of his behaviour, I felt he has outraged my modesty,” the letter read.

Dutta even complained to the choreographer, producer and director hoping some action would be taken and everything would be fine.

But to her surprise, new steps were introduced by Acharya, which were intimate and included Patekar touching her inappropriately, she alleged.

The actor said she was being forced and pressurised to do the steps but after she refused, the producer threatened to defame her. Everyone was taking side of Patekar, she said.

She then called her parents and manager, who questioned Patekar’s actions. However, the producer refused to budge and Dutta had no choice but to leave the studio, the complaint said. On the way out, her car was attacked but with the help of the police she managed to escape from the spot, it added.

We were then taken to the police station and my statement was recorded but not as per the complaint. Many parts of my complaint were deleted, omitted and avoided, she alleged. She also lodged a complaint with CINTAA in March 2008.

“After the above incident I was under tremendous shock and I suffered psychological trauma and was unable to take work and suffered huge monetary loss in crores,” Dutta said in the letter. Earlier in the day, Patekar, who was shooting for his upcoming film “Housefull 4” in Jodhpur, landed here Saturday.

“I said this ten years ago… a lie is a lie (Dus saal pehle bol chuka hoon, ab jo jhoot hai woh jhoot hai’),” Patekar told reporters here Saturday. Patekar’s lawyer had sent a legal notice to Dutta demanding apology.