Actor Saloni Chopra on Thursday wrote a Medium post detailing the various forms of sexual harassment and violence perpetrated by director Sajid Khan, actor Zain Durrani and director Vikas Bahl. The allegations pertaining to Khan go back seven years.
She writes, ”He was famous for his interview questions. He asks questions like ‘do you masturbate?’ and ‘how many times a week?’… he also asked me if I’d ever been sexually abused, I said yes. Then he asked weird questions like if I would ever get a breast job, and talked about how sex is really a mental connection.”
Chopra, who was working for Khan at that time, said that he would call her at odd hours, and it didn’t matter if she was bathing or shitting, she had to answer. “He’d ask me what I’m wearing or what I ate. He’d ask me to send him my bikini photos because he needed to know how I looked if I wanted to become an actor.”
“One night, it got really ugly. I was so tired of the calls and the constant harassment, I asked him what he wanted from me. I told him that if this was just about sex then fine, I’d come over right now and fuck him but provided he backed off afterwards and stopped calling me every day. He started yelling at me and claimed that I was so naive and stupid if I thought this was just about sex. This wasn’t about sex, it was about me being his little bitch and doing everything he told me to do,” she narrates.
Journalist Karishma Upadhyay also took to Twitter and narrated an incident where Khan flashed his penis during an interview. “The first time I interviewed Sajid Khan in the early 2000s, he called me to the house he shared w/ his sister. Thru the interview he talked about how large his penis is & how he knew how to satisfy a woman,” she wrote.
“He walked out of the room to show me some DVD from his collection. When he returned, his penis was out. I got up to leave immediately only to find him blocking the way out. And he forced his tongue down my throat.
“A few years later, I had to work with Sajid when I was at MTV. Initially, I wanted to find a way to not work on that show. Then I realised, why should I let go of an opportunity because a man can’t keep his d**k in his pants.”
Sajid Khan has preyed on women in the industry for years. Here’s my story. #MeToo pic.twitter.com/Rufzs9dsp6
— YellowGlassDragon (@karishmau) October 11, 2018
Actor and model Rachel White retweeted Chopra’s tweet and shared her horrifying experience with Khan, where the director allegedly asked her to strip. She wrote, “I was in a white vest and blue denims and still felt I was standing nude with that gaze. What happens next is that he finishes his cardio and walks up to me asking me about my boobs and making that kind of conversation. I didn’t bother to answer to anything.”
“After that he asks me to strip for him bcoz there were scenes in a bikini and he needed to see how I looked. I replied saying “there are pics of me in bikinis sent to u,I think that should good for u” n wen he insisted I said “I’m ready to parade ur office in a binkini not at home,” she added.
I stood like an idiot in one corner of the bedroom wondering where to sit and he was on one side on the treadmill. I clearly rem this episode. When he saw me walk in he goes “pls come this side” all smiling . I walk up towards the treadmill . He was directly staring down at me
— Rachel White (@whitespeaking) October 11, 2018
I was in a white vest and blue denims and still felt I was standing nude with that gaze. What happens next is that he finishes his cardio and walks up to me asking me about my boobs and making that kind of conversation. I didn’t bother to answer to anything.
— Rachel White (@whitespeaking) October 11, 2018
After that he asks me to strip for him bcoz there were scenes in a bikini and he needed to see how I looked. I replied saying “there are pics of me in bikinis sent to u,I think that should good for u” n wen he insisted I said “I’m ready to parade ur office in a binkini nt at home
— Rachel White (@whitespeaking) October 11, 2018
After the allegations surfaced, actor Akshay Kumar, who was shooting Housefull 4, issued a statement saying he has requested producers of the film to “cancel shoot until further investigation.” The film is being directed by Sajid Khan and also stars Nana Patekar.
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) October 12, 2018
Khan also issued a statement, saying that he will step down as the director out of a ‘moral responsibility.’
— Sajid Khan (@SimplySajidK) October 12, 2018
Choreographer-turned-director and Sajid Khan’s sister, Farah Khan, also issued a statement condemning his actions.
This is a heartbreaking time for my family.We have to work through some very difficult issues. If my brother has behaved in this manner he has a lot to atone for.I don’t in any way endorse this behavior and Stand in solidarity with any woman who has been hurt.
— Farah Khan (@TheFarahKhan) October 12, 2018
Farhan Akhtar also clarified that he supports the survivors, and that Khan will have to ‘find a way to atone for his alleged actions.’
I cannot adequately stress how shocked, disappointed and heartbroken I am to read the stories about Sajid’s behaviour.
I don’t know how but he will have to find a way to atone for his alleged actions.— Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) October 12, 2018
Let there be no confusion about whether I stand in solidarity with the women who have spoken up. I absolutely do. @karishmau @redheadchopra https://t.co/qYmaj2yN4P
— Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) October 12, 2018
The #MeToo campaign has encourged women to speak up against sexual predators in the media industry. In the past two weeks, several ‘reputed and powerful’ men like ‘Sansaakri’ Alok Nath, Nana Patekar, Suhel Seth, Subhash Ghai and MJ Akbar have been accused of sexual harassment.