Anurag Kashyap calls sexual harassment allegations 'baseless', Industry friends support director
On Saturday, Ghosh took to Twitter and wrote that the "Gangs of Wasseypur" director was sexually inappropriate towards her, a claim he has dismissed.
The 30-year-old actor tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in her tweet, requesting him to take action against Kashyap.
"@anuragkashyap72 has forced himself on me and extremely badly. @PMOIndia @narendramodi ji, kindly take action and let the country see the demon behind this creative guy. I am aware that it can harm me and my security is at risk. Please help!" Ghosh wrote.
In a video released to ABN Telugu, Ghosh claimed that the incident happened in 2014-2015.
The actor, who made her Hindi debut with Rishi Kapoor-Paresh Rawal starrer "Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi", also claimed that Kashyap boasted about his connection with megastar Amitabh Bachchan and claimed that there were other female artistes who he got intimate with.
Dismissing the allegations, Kashyap called Ghosh's claim an attempt to "silence" him.
An outspoken critic of administration and a member of the Indian film industry who is vocal about the vilification of Bollywood by celebrities and trolls online, the director said it had taken some people "such a long time" to "shut me up".
"(But) while shutting me up, you lied so much that you dragged other women also in it. Please maintain some dignity madam. All I will say is that all your allegations are baseless," Kashyap, 48, tweeted.
"Any lover or all those female actors with whom I've worked or the team of all those girls and women that have been working with me or all those women I've met in private or in public. I neither behaved like this nor do I tolerate such a behaviour at any cost. Rest we will see what happens," he added.
While Ghosh found support in National Commission for Women, with its chairperson Rekha Sharma assuring the actor that the NCW will take cognisance of the case, several film personalities including Sayani Gupta, Tisca Chopra, Surveen Chawla and Anubhav Sinha urged that the #MeToo movement must not be abused for vendetta.
Calling Ghosh's allegation the "cheapest" stunt, Kashyap's first wife, Bajaj said the filmmaker was somebody who makes sure to create a safe work environment for his female co-workers.
"There is no integrity left and the world is full of losers and no brains baying for blood of anyone who has a voice. If everybody spend that energy which they use in hating others constructively this world will be a better place," she added.
"Worst of human kind seen in the last few months: 1. Appropriating someone's death for personal vendetta. 2. Appropriating one of the most important movements for political vendetta MeToo #StandwithAnuragKashyap," wrote Gupta.
At least "spare an important movement like #MeToo", appealed Ayyub.
In a carefully worded, lengthy thread, Mehta questioned whether the allegation against Kashyap was just another "witch hunt", adding he was "troubled and full of questions".
"This happening at a time when Anurag often against advice has been outspoken and provided a contrarian view on things happening around us. is he making some people uncomfortable? there are so many questions and they are not necessarily about the allegations leveled against AK.
"Is this a witch-hunt yet again? are they trying to shut up an artist with a dissenting opinion? where are we headed? and then after hearing the accusation - can this even be anurag? it is definitely not the anurag I know," the director wrote.
Mehta said lies will do a "huge disservice" to women who are regularly subjected to sexual harassment and abuse, adding #MeToo movement must "not become a target of abuse for somebody's selfish gains".
"The #metoo movement is way too important. Let every victim out there always be heard and justice be done," he said.
Pannu, who collaborated with Kashyap on the 2018 romantic-drama "Manmarziyaan", took to Instagram and wrote that the filmmaker was "the biggest feminist" she knew.
"See you on the sets soon of yet another piece of art that shows how powerful and significant women are in the world you create," she wrote.
Sinha said the existence of the #MeToo movement is to amplify voices of harassed women and should not be misused.
"It is the joint responsibility of women and men both to carefully protect the sanctity of #Metooindia. It is a very very very important movement that should not be misused for any other reason but the dignity of women," he tweeted.
Chawla, who worked with the filmmaker on his two-part Netflix series "Sacred Games", said the allegation against the director reeked of "opportunism".
Chopra, who featured alongside Kashyap and Chawla in the short film "Chhuri", said the director was one of the biggest supporters of talent, be it men or women.
"To know my friend @anuragkashyap72 is to know generosity, honesty and decency at its core .. even a cursory look at his work reveals his worldview on women .. don't know a bigger supporter of talent, men or women," she tweeted.
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India ride on fifties by Gill, Pant to reach 195/5 at lunch, trail by 40 runs against NZ in 3rd Test
Mumbai (PTI): Rishabh Pant’s (60) blitz and Shubman Gill’s resolute unbeaten 70 propelled India’s counterattack on second morning of the final Test as the hosts raced to 195 for five at lunch, trailing New Zealand by another 40 runs in the first innings here on Friday.
Having ceded control to New Zealand in final minutes of the opening day’s play with an embarrassing collapse, India showed better resolve to make a speedy recovery while knocking off a significant chunk of the first-innings deficit.
At lunch, Ravindra Jadeja (10 not out) was accompanying Gill who hit four boundaries and a six in his 106 ball stay.
Pant's quickfire 60, laced with eight fours and two sixes, was instrumental in taking the advantage away from the Kiwis who were gifted three unexpected wickets by the Indians in the last day’s session with batting mainstays Virat Kohli (4) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (30) committing harakiri.
Pant and Gill, entrusted with the job to control the damage on day two, took an aggressive route as they tore through the Kiwi bowling attack to plunder 77 runs in 14 overs in the first hour, putting on an overall 96 runs for the fifth wicket off only 114 deliveries.
If Pant was more belligerent of the two, Gill showed remarkable improvement in his defence against spinners while the two young Indians were also favoured by luck for being brave in their endeavour with some ordinary fielding by New Zealand.
In the 26th over, Gill charged against Glenn Phillips' (0/54) first ball of the day only to sky the ball towards long-on and despite having covered the distance, substitute fielder Mark Chapman spilled what would have been a regulation catch.
Gill was on 30 when Pant had joined him on first day evening with India’s backs pressed firmly against the wall, in the 19th over of the innings.
In the 30th, both the batters brought up their respective half-centuries.
Like Gill, Pant too was provided with a reprieve off Phillips when Matt Henry (1/26) spilled another regulation catch at long-off.
Pant had made his intentions clear in the first over when he gently drove Ajaz Patel (2/76) down the ground for a four off the first ball, danced down the track for another four on the next delivery and deliberately opened the face of the bat to guide the ball for another four past first slip.
The Indian wicketkeeper-batter’s charge, however, came to an end half an hour before lunch when Ish Sodhi forced Pant on the backfoot with one that turned sharply in.
The umpire’s on-field call of leg-before against Pant stayed as replays showed the ball would’ve clipped the leg-stump when India reviewed.
