Lipstick Under My Burkha actor Aahana Kumra has accused Bollywood director Sajid Khan of indecent behaviour. Her accusations come after four women accused him of sexual harassment last month as part of the #MeToo movement in India.
Aahana said in an interview to The Times of India that while Sajid never touched her, he did call her to his house and his room and asked her inappropriate questions.
“I had a meeting with Sajid Khan about a year ago, knowing the fact that he is a shady guy. I met him and he did the same thing that Saloni (Chopra) has written about him. Same drill — you go to his house, you are escorted to his room which is pretty dark. He makes you watch what he’s watching,” she said.
Aahana Kumra clarified that while Sajid Khan did not make unwelcome advances at her, he continued with the conversation in his own room: "He did not make a pass at me but he wanted to get to know me. When I asked him why can't we sit outside, he said that his mother was sitting there so why trouble her. I asked him to switch on the lights of the room, which he did," she said.
Aahana says that she was assertive in how she responded to him and let him know that her mother was a police woman. “But he still asked me bizarre questions like, ‘Would you have sex with a dog if I gave you Rs 100 crores’? He didn’t touch me,” she added.
Aahana Kumra, who said she was well aware of Sajid Khan's reputation as "shady" while scheduling the interview, added in her interview that the filmmaker asked her "bizarre questions", which are too vile to be reproduced here.
"I told him my mom's a police officer, which I think made him behave," she also said. Recounting a previous incident, Ms Kumra also said that Sajid Khan allegedly once sent her a text message implying disbelief over seeing a bikini shot of hers. "Sajid Khan once messaged me, 'Oh, you can look hot in a bikini also!'" Bombay Times quoted the actress as saying.
Following the barrage of allegations against Sajid Khan, he resigned as the director of Housefull 4 on October 12 and explained his decision to step down as a "moral responsibility": "In the wake of the allegations against me and the pressure being put on my family, my producer and the stars of my film Housefull 4, I must take the moral responsibility of stepping down from my directorial post, till the time I can allay the allegations and prove the truth."
Sajid Khan was outed as an alleged sexual predator after Saloni Chopra, who once worked with him, accused the filmmaker of harassing her mentally, emotionally and sexually followed by accusations from Rachel White, who alleged Mr Khan asked her to "seduce him in 5 minutes" for a role.
In her account, Karishma Upadhyay claimed that Sajid Khan started an interview with "trash talk" and added he tried to forcibly kiss her when she was trying to leave the room. Read Saloni Chopra's account here:
In her interview, Aahana Kumra has also alleged that celebrity manager Anirban Das Blah once invited her to a hotel room to "negotiate there". "That's the normal conversation he has with women. The day I chatted with him, I was shaken," said Ms Kumra.
Last month, Anirban Blah, who was the founder of KWAN Entertainment, was fired from his post following allegations of sexual advances towards women, after which he reportedly attempted suicide. Mr Blah was also reportedly removed as advisory member of Deepika Padukone's The Live Love Laugh foundation.
After Sajid Khan's exit from Housefull 4, the film will now be directed by Farhad Samji. Nana Patekar, who remains accused of harassing actress Tanushree Dutta a decade ago, also quit the film's cast and has reportedly been replaced by Rana Daggubati.
Akshay Kumar, who headlines Housefull 4 had cancelled the film's shoot in the wake of the #MeToo allegations against members of the cast and crew. At the same time, Sajid Khan's filmmaker sister Farah Khan had responded to the many allegations against Sajid with this statement: "This is a heart-breaking time for my family.
We have to work through some very difficult issues. If my brother has behaved in this manner he has a lot to atone for. I don't in any way endorse this behaviour and Stand in solidarity with any woman who has been hurt."
