After mid-day publishes survivors' accounts accusing casting agent Vicky Sidana of sexual harassment, John Abraham drops him from Batla House credit roll
John Abraham and Vicky Sidana
In the weeks since the #MeToo movement has gathered momentum in India, Bollywood has taken corrective measures against the sexual harassment allegations. After mid-day published an expose on casting director Vicky Sidana - where two survivors accused him of sexual misconduct and actor Kritika Sharma accused him of attempted rape in 2013 - it has been heard that John Abraham, Nikkhil Advani and producer Bhushan Kumar have decided to distance him from their next, Batla House.
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A production source informs, "Vicky Sidana was the casting director on board Batla House. In light of the grave allegations against Sidana and the ongoing police investigation, John, Nikkhil and Bhushan have decided to drop his name from the final credit roll. He can't be fired from the project because his job is already done.
Nikkhil Advani
Although the contract drawn with him states that he be credited for his work, the production house wants to express their solidarity with the aggrieved women. So, they are considering options to wiggle out of it."
The Advani-directed drama is based on the life of cop Sanjay Kumar Yadav, who headed the Batla House encounter against the Indian Mujahideen terrorists in Delhi in 2008. A decorated cop with nine gallantry awards, Yadav had to face the heat when conspiracy theories suggested that the encounter was fake. mid-day texted Advani, his business partner Monisha Advani and co-producer Kumar. Neither responded till the time of going to press.
Also Read: Udaan Sapnon Ki actor Helen Fonseca accused co-star Sai Ballal of sexual harassment
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