Rajkumar Hirani accused of sexual assault, filmmaker denies
Mumbai, Jan 13: Filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani has been accused of sexual assault by a woman who worked with him on his 2017 film "Sanju".
Hirani has categorically denied the allegations. His lawyer Anand Desai termed the allegations "false, mischievous, scandalous, motivated and defamatory".
In an article on HuffPost India, the woman, who calls herself as "an assistant", alleged that Hirani sexually abused her more than once between March and September 2018.
She detailed her allegations in an email dated November 3, 2018, to Hirani's longtime collaborator and "Sanju" co-producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
The woman said that on April 9, 2018, the director first passed a sexually suggestive remark to her and later sexually assaulted her at his home office.
"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'," she wrote of the April 9 incident in the email to Chopra, as quoted by HuffPost India.
The woman said that Hirani was a father figure for her.
"My mind, body and heart were grossly violated that night and for the next 6 months," the email read.
Chopra's wife, film critic Anupama, who is a director at Vinod Chopra Films Pvt Ltd, "Sanju" scriptwriter Abhijat Joshi and filmmaker Shelly Chopra, Vidhu Vinod's sister, were also marked on the email.
The complainant later spoke to HuffPost India that she was "intimidated by Hirani", who was her reporting person at the time.
She said she maintained a facade of normalcy regarding Hirani's behaviour as she needed to hold on to her job as her father was suffering from a terminal illness.
"I had no choice but to be polite to him. It was unbearable but the reason I endured it all, until I couldn't, was because I didn't want my job to be taken away from me, and work to be questioned. Ever.
"I was worried that if I left midway, it would be impossible to find another job in this industry if he were to speak badly about my work. Because if Hirani said I wasn't good, everybody would listen. My future would be in jeopardy," she said.
Anupama Chopra had confirmed that the woman had shared an account with her, and that Vinod Chopra Films (VCF) has since set up a committee to address complaints of sexual harassment.
"I have offered my full support and recommended that she take the complaint to a legal body or a neutral party since we cannot be arbitrators or judges on this.
"We also offered to set up an ICC at VCF (which we have set up since then) even though a VCF ICC could not have taken up the case since she was an RHF (Rajkumar Hirani Films) employee at the time. These are two separate companies," she said in an email dated December 5, 2018.
Anupama said the woman told her she needed time to think about how to take things forward.
She added, "I did not want in any way to pressurise her or steer her in any direction. As Vinod and I told her then, she has our full support and we are fully respectful of whatever decision she has taken."
The development comes close on the heels of Hirani's name been dropped from the new poster and trailer of "Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga", directed by Shelly Chopra.
A still from the film's teaser, which released on 27 June, 2018, carried Hirani's name as co-producer.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra has not yet commented.
Hirani's is the latest name to be called out in India's #MeToo storm, which has engulfed many a stalwart such as Nana Patekar, Alok Nath, Vikas Bahl, Sajid Khan and former Union minister MJ Akbar, among others.
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War is not romantic, Bollywood movie; We should not cheer for it: Ex-Army chief Naravane
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Pune (PTI): Former Indian Army chief General Manoj Naravane has slammed questions being raised on the suspension of hostilities between India and Pakistan, saying war is not romantic and is not a Bollywood movie.
Speaking at an event in Pune, Naravane said if ordered, he would go to war, but diplomacy would be his first choice.
He said there is trauma among people living in the border areas, including children who have seen shelling and have to run to shelters at night.
"For those who have lost their loved ones, that trauma will be carried through generations. There's also something called PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). People who have seen gruesome scenes wake up sweating even after 20 years and need psychiatric care," he said.
Naravane was speaking at a programme organised by the Institute of Cost Accountants of India.
"War is not romantic. It is not your Bollywood movie. It is very serious business. War or violence should be the last thing we should resort to, which is why our Prime Minister said this is not an era of war. Although war will be forced upon us by unwise people, we should not cheer for it," he said.
"Still, people are asking why we have not gone for a full-out war. As a military man, if ordered, I will go to war, but that will not be my first choice," the former Indian Army Chief said.
Naravane said his first choice would be diplomacy, settling differences through dialogue and not reaching the stage of armed conflict.
"We are all equal stakeholders in national security. We should try to resolve differences not only between countries, but amongst ourselves, whether in families or between states, regions and communities. Violence is not the answer," he said.
India launched Operation Sindoor on early May 7 to destroy seven terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack.
India and Pakistan on Saturday announced reaching an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea.
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