Slap & lipstick drama raises some questions

Movie star Aindrita Ray says a famous director harassed her and hit her on the sets. Manju Shettar brings some perspective to the scandal

Movie star Aindrita Ray says a famous director harassed her and hit her on the sets. Manju Shettar brings some perspective to the scandal

Aindrita Ray, the Bengali beauty who is all the rage in Kannada movies, alleged yesterday that director Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar had slapped her on the sets of Nooru Janmaku in Macau.

MiD DAY raises some important questions about the scandal.

Slapgate Story From Doorstep: Actress Aindrita Ray (above) makes the accusations against director Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar on prime-time TV from outside her residence yesterday.

1.u00a0Why isn't Aindrita filing a police complaint?
She claims Nagathihalli touched her hand and pulled her, and knocked on the doors of her hotel room late in the night before he slapped her. She also alleges he was sloshed, and called her names like Priya and Mamata. She is hinting that the director behaved inappropriately, but isn't filing a sexual harassment or assault complaint with the police. What could be the reason?
MiD DAY take: She thinks this is a good opportunity to gain some sympathy before news of her indiscipline on the sets spreads. If she has been sexually harassed, she should go ahead and complain to the police. She told influential producer Rockline Venkatesh to intervene and help her. But he isn't a policeman, madam.

2. Why is Nagathihalli silent?
The scandal broke last evening, but Nagathihalli did not appear on any TV channel when Aindrita was going all out making serious charges against him. He did not pick up the phone when reporters called him. Why didn't he come out and clear the air?
MiD DAY take: He knows any scandal is good publicity. Once he decides to speak, he will say she misbehaved, and possibly that she came late to the sets when highly paid Russian dancers were waiting for a shot. He will also talk about the losses she caused by being unpunctual.

3.u00a0Why isn't anyone in the unit coming on record?
MiD DAY phoned Santosh, hero of the film, but the call was diverted to his voice mail box. No one present on the sets came on record to say what happened on December 8, when Nagathihalli allegedly slapped Aindrita in Macau. Why aren't the eyewitnesses talking?
MiD DAY believes: They don't want to get involved in the mudslinging. But Nagathihalli may have many of the crew on his side.

Interval: Aindrita Ray talks to producer Rockline Venkatesh while speaking to a private TV channel at her residence yesterday. Director Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar.

4.u00a0Why did Aindrita spend prime time talking to just one channel?
She spent last evening talking to just one TV channel when several others were waiting patiently in front of her apartment. Once she was done, she ran away, without saying a word to the reporters waiting outside. Many reporters were disgusted with her partisan attitude. Why was she afraid to speak to all reporters?
MiD DAY suspects: She is not telling the entire story, and is picking and choosing who she will speak to. She is too immature to understand that she is making grave charges against a well-established director. MiD DAY offered to publish verbatim her first-person account of what had happened at Macau, but she didn't respond.

5. Who is the producer of Nooru Janmaku?
Aindrita says she complained to the producer of the film, but didn't mention his name. The credits say hero Santosh is one of the producers, but he was right there on the sets, and she couldn't have called him. Who is the producer Aindrita called?
MiD DAY was told: A rich miner in Bellary district is producing Nooru Janmaku. His sympathies are with Aindrita.
Hero Santosh was apparently hit by Nagathihalli during the shooting, but he took it in his stride and didn't make a scene. Aindrita, many allege, is a spoilt brat, and felt insulted that her directed had been harsh with her.

And, finally: MiD DAY would be happy to publish answers to these questions if Aindrita and Nagathihalli come forward and provide them.

Superstar victims of the slap

Rajni Anna and his Privileged moment Rajnikanth was slapped by director Balachander, and the superstar went about saying he was privileged to have been disciplined by his mentor. Not once has Rajnikanth complained about the famous slap. Some who got it from Puttanna Kanagal Kannada director Puttanna Kanagal was so highly regarded that his actors were willing to be put through the most rigorous punishment to be able to star in his films. Top stars Kalpana, Manjula, Vishnuvardhan and Ambarish were reportedly among those slapped by Puttanna. The making of Raj Kapoor Well known director Kidar Sharma gave one on the face of Raj Kapoor, and the man who went on to become the famous showman often said he may not have achieved what he did if he had not been disciplined by Sharma. MiD DAY Take People in the movie business gain fame and notoriety with their bizarre acts. Some are truly, genuinely eccentric and cranky, but others do it just for the publicity. But all said and done, slapping of movie stars, like corporal punishment in schools, is neither healthy nor desirable.