In a brief televised statement today, actor Nana Patekar said that the press conference he had scheduled to address allegations he sexually harassed Tanushree Dutta had been cancelled on the advice of his lawyer and repeated that "the truth doesn't change." Earlier today, Nana Patekar's son Malhar sent out a text message to media persons invited for the conference which read: "Sorry to be messaging at this hour, just wanted to inform that there's no press conference tomorrow, please pass on the message to your colleagues in the media. Will let you know about the further proceedings soon, regards," reports news agency PTI. In the early evening, Mr Patekar told assembled media, "My lawyer has asked me to not talk to any channel, have to listen to him. I would say what I said 10 years back, the truth doesn't change."
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Tanushree Dutta has named Nana Patekar as her harasser on the sets of a film in 2008 and filed a police complaint in Mumbai on Saturday. Mr Patekar responded with belligerence to Tanushree Dutta's allegation that he behaved inappropriately with her during a song shoot in 2008 and then using political connections to have thugs threaten and intimidate her. After first telling Times Now that it would have been impossible for him to harass Ms Dutta on a crowded set and that he would sue, Mr Patekar sent the actress a legal notice.
On his way to a shoot in Jaisalmer recently, Mr Patekar told the media: "I said this ten years ago... a lie is a lie," reports PTI. The actor is currently part of the unit filming Housefull 4 in Jaisalmer - his co-stars include Akshay Kumar and Kriti Sanon.
Tanushree Dutta has also named choreographer Ganesh Acharya as complicit in Nana Patekar's alleged harassment of her in the police complaint. No First Information Report or FIR has so far been registered, Mumbai Police told PTI.
Stories of #MeToo have blown up over the last week with prominent men from the media and other fields, among them actor Rajat Kapoor, being outed as predators on social media. Over the weekend it was announced that production house Phantom Films was being wound up - soon after, Huffington Post reported that it was the end result of an investigation into claims that co-owner Vikas Bahl had sexually assaulted a woman in 2015. Two actresses, one of them Mr Bahl's Queen star Kangana Ranaut, have also come forward with their stories of inappropriate behaviour on My Bahl's part.
(With inputs from PTI)
