The actress talks about what transpired on Wednesday on the sets of Horn Ok PleassssTanushree Dutta and her parents aren’t going to forget March 26 in a hurry. “We’ve been through hell and back. My car has been smashed to pieces due to mob fury. But what has happened to my dignity, self-respect and my identity as a woman are irreparable,” the shaken actress said on Thursday afternoon.
‘I rehearsed’
It all started when Tanushree was approached to do an item song for Rakesh Sarang’s Horn Ok Pleassss. “I made it clear to the producer, director and choreographer Ganesh Acharya that I’m not a run-of-the-mill item girl. I was very particular about my clothes and movements. We rehearsed nearly a week. And now they’re saying I was uncooperative and was not ready to rehearse.”
Uncomfortable
What awaited Tanushree on the set was four days of horror. “From the start, I wasn’t comfortable with Nana Patekar’s presence.
Nana had just three words O yara re in the song. Still he insisted on being around throughout. That was fine. He’s the film’s hero and it’s his prerogative. But then, instead of the choreographer, Nana started showing me the steps.”
Tanushree made her displeasure at this very clear. “A couple of times, I pushed his hands away when he got too close. But it didn’t seem to make a difference. He continued to direct my steps roughly and aggressively. Things got really out of hand when Ganesh incorporated steps where Nana could get physically close to me.”
That’s when the actress chose to walk off the set and lock herself up in her van. “Not for three hours, as they reported on the TV channels but for 90 minutes. They called up Pehlaj Nihalani to intervene and he told them to change the steps if they made me uncomfortable. I finally came out of my van only to be told they won’t change the steps.
Why? Was it Valmiki’s Ramayan that nothing could be changed? I think the producer, director and choreographer decided to teach me a lesson. They threatened to call the media on the sets and proclaim I was un-cooperative. I didn’t know how serious they were.”
Trapped
Nana apparently had left by then. Tanushree decided to leave too. “But my car was surrounded by hordes of TV journalists. When they couldn’t get a sound byte they pushed themselves into the front seat of my car.
When that didn’t work they began banging on the windshield with their cameras. My parents and I were trapped inside my car. Anything could’ve happened. We frantically tried to call the producer and director. They had both switched off their mobiles.”
What security?
The Duttas have lodged an FIR against those who allegedly attacked them. “What I want to know is, where was the security at Filmistan studio when I was attacked? Where were the producer and director? They’ve wasted no time in replacing me with Rakhi Sawant for the song and labelling me uncooperative. But why did they realise how unprofessional I was only on the fourth day?
Can they get others in the film industry to accuse me of undisciplined behaviour? Or did they think they could mess with me and manhandle me just because I’m a girl?”
Subash K. Jha, Mid-Day
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