Tanushree Dutta calls out Khan for her lack of solidarity, as director posts picture with Nana Patekar, day after Dutta accused him of sexual harassment
Farah Khan and Tanushree Dutta
In the days since Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of sexually harassing her on the set of Horn Ok Pleassss (2008), several Bollywood stars have come forward to lend their support to the former. While it may be a sign of the changing times in the industry, Farah Khan's apparent apathy has not missed Dutta's notice. On Thursday, the director posted a picture with Patekar and the team of Housefull 4, on her Instagram handle, as they headed to Jaisalmer for the film's shoot. She wrote, "Taking the 'not so private charter' flight to Jaisalmer (sic)."
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Speaking to mid-day, Dutta expressed her disappointment at Khan's actions: "It is upsetting. I am appalled by Farah's post. How could she do this?" The actor further added that the director's gesture showed where she stood on harassment. "Being a woman herself, Farah has made her stand clear by going ahead with Nana for the Housefull 4 shoot."
The picture that was shared by Farah Khan on Instagram
Khan is currently in Rajasthan where brother Sajid Khan's comic caper is being shot. The unit includes Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, Kriti Sanon and Pooja Hegde, among others.
When we reached out to Khan, the director was taken aback. "Why has this become about me," she asked. Pointing that she regularly posts pictures from her film sets, she added, "It [the picture] does not mean that I was taking anyone's side." It may be noted that the director was trolled by netizens for posting the picture - an act that many considered as her allegiance to Patekar.
Meanwhile, Dutta has been fighting her battle against the senior actor head-on. "A man claiming to be Nana Patekar's advocate is calling up people close to me and media houses alike threatening to drag me to court for speaking up. Even after 10 years, Nana Patekar is still harassing me with legal threats and intimidation tactics while the whole world is watching."
In her ongoing revelations, Dutta has also accused filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri of sexual harassment - she claimed he asked her to strip behind the camera, to give cues to co-star Irrfan Khan on the set of his 2005 film Chocolate. She maintains that Irrfan and co-star Suniel Shetty had rushed to her defence then.
Also Read: Nana Patekar Responds To Tanushree Dutta's Sexual Harassment Accusation
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