15 October,2018 07:25 AM IST | Mumbai | Mohar Basu
Subhash Ghai and Kate Sharma
A day after she filed a molestation complaint against filmmaker Subhash Ghai at the Versova police station, Kate Sharma says she wouldn't have had the courage to raise her voice against sexual harassment if "it hadn't been for the #MeToo movement".
Keen to foray into Bollywood, the aspiring actor was reportedly in talks with Ghai for the Aitraaz (2003) remake. However, things took a turn for the worse when the filmmaker allegedly forced himself on her on August 6. Deeply traumatised by the incident, Sharma says, "I was unable to tell my family. But if I don't speak up now, women don't stand a chance. It's our fight for self-respect. I hope we battle men who see us as objects to satisfy their lust, and not as professionals. Speaking up finally makes me feel light."
Recalling the horror that unfolded at the filmmaker's house that night, Sharma says that Ghai asked her to give him a massage. "I was shocked, but since I respected his age, I did it. Suddenly he pulled me on him, tried to kiss me and started putting his hands on my private parts. I somehow managed to pull him away." She says that she rushed out of his house under the pretext of having to attend a birthday party.
However, the director allegedly threatened her. "He told me, 'Aaj ka din hain - yaa toh aaj yaa phir kabhi nahi. I can make you a star, aaj teri pariksha hain. Decide karle.' He texted me at 2.30 am asking if I am coming back. I made an excuse that I have a headache." Sharma says that Ghai started avoiding her after that fateful night.
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"He stopped answering my calls and didn't respond to my messages. He asked me to remove all our pictures from social media; he claimed that people will misunderstand our equation." The filmmaker denied the allegations on Twitter, stating that his "lawyers will take care of the matter". Last week, an anonymous woman accused the director of drugging and raping her.
Also Read: #MeToo Movement: Meet the woman whose tweet started it all
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