#Metoo: He slapped me, my head hit the wall, says model Apernah

Apernah and Colston Julian

In a letter dated May 10, model Apernah wrote to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone X, MIDC, Andheri East) seeking an FIR against well-known photographer Colston Julian, alleging sexual harassment and physical assault. This comes on the back of Apernah's social media post on April 12, in which she spoke at length about how she was physically and emotionally abused by Julian during a work assignment.

The model reveals that her first interaction with the photographer dates back to 2015, when she was based in Bengaluru. "Colston was my friend on Facebook. I got an e-mail from his company regarding a casting opportunity. That assignment didn't work out because I was too young. After checking out my portfolio, he volunteered to shoot me. At 19, I was excited that he saw promise in me. But the story changed soon after. We met [in Mumbai] in February 2015, and by April, he had started forcing himself upon me. He would constantly try and get physical. I was with Inega [Model Management] then and wasn't getting much work. He would slap me around, demoralise me by saying, ‘Get rid of your mole, your features are not looking good'. He was emotionally and physically abusive, and would try to crush my confidence," she recounts.

Apernah says that these incidents made her see through his manipulative tactics, and after an argument in 2016, she blocked him from her social media accounts. "He sent me an email to build bridges," she shares, adding that he would "bully her" into talking to him.

However, things came to a head during a shoot in March 2017. "He agreed to do the shoot to fulfil the promise he had made when we had first met. Back then, he had promised to feature me in his upcoming shoots. I went to his place late in the afternoon. He kept chit-chatting and avoiding work, [finally beginning the shoot hours later]. In the middle of the shoot, he came up and tried to kiss me. I, in no uncertain terms, told him to stay away. That's when he got wild and slapped me. My head hit the wall and I fell on the floor. I realised that he may hit me further, so I screamed. That scared him. I pushed him away, screaming, ‘How dare you hit me', all the while crying and shaking. I was bruised, and only I know what it took for me to get out of his place. His main door has seven locks."

Since the incident, Apernah cut off all ties with the photographer, who she claims used to drive by her house and call her at odd hours to patch up. The two briefly crossed paths at the 2018 GQ Best Dressed Men party. She is apparently not the only model to have had such a traumatic experience with the photographer. A successful model who graduated to movies said she had a toxic equation with him. mid-day spoke to another model, who also alleged that Julian used similar tricks on her. Both refused to come forward with their stories.

mid-day sent a detailed text to Julian, which remained unanswered till press time.

Dr Maheshwar Reddy, zonal deputy commissioner of police, said, "I'm not aware of the complaint letter that has been submitted before my office. If it is submitted today, it will come to my table tomorrow morning. Legal action will be taken against the accused if the complaint is related to sexual harassment."

With inputs from Diwakar Sharma