Alok Nath in a still from Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety. (Image courtesy: YouTube)
Highlights
- Writer of TV show Tara alleged that Alok Nath harassed the lead actress
- Alok Nath also said that Vinta Nanda was his good friend at one point
- 'I do not want to talk much about it,' the actor said
Actor Alok Nath has offered a defence - a very poor one - after being identified by social media as the 'sanskaari' actor who allegedly raped writer Vinta Nanda two decades ago. Speaking to ABP News, Mr Nath has said he 'neither denies not agrees' with Ms Nanda's account, that someone else must be the rapist, and that there was no point reacting to the abuse allegations because 'only what a woman says will be considered.' He also claimed that he 'made (Ms Nanda) what she is' and that dismissed the public shredding of his 'sanskaari' image as 'people will say anything.'
Alok Nath, thought to be the actor who raped and brutalised Vinta Nanda 19 years ago, "Neither I am denying this nor do I would agree with it. It (rape) must have happened, but someone else would have done it. Well, I do not want to talk much about it as for the matter if it has come out, it will be stretched... We only have to hear to women's stand because they are considered weak."
Mr Nath might be surprised to learn, in fact, that the odds are heavily stacked against survivors of rape, assault and harassment being believed. Ms Nanda addresses the silencing of survivor in her Facebook post writing, "The couple of times that I wrote about what I had gone through created more complications because I stopped getting work."
Asked about the unravelling of his public persona of the 'sanskaari bapuji' he played in several films and TV shows, Alok Nath told ABP News, "What do I have to do with people? People will say anything to spoil the image. Leave my image, whatever has been said, it is absurd." He then claimed credit for Ms Nanda's success.
Vinta Nanda's harrowing account, read below, also details how the 'sanskaari actor' harassed his Tara co-star Navneet Nishan on set. In a statement to NDTV, Ms Nishan today said she endured four years of harassment which finally ended when she slapped her co-star. Like Ms Nanda, Ms Nishan did not name Alok Nath, who was cast opposite her in Nineties show Tara. The Internet, however, has made the connection and dug out an India Today report from 1994 about Ms Nishan suing Mr Nath for alleged misconduct.
Alok Nath will soon be receiving a show cause notice from the Cine And TV Artistes' Association or CINTAA asking why he shouldn't be expelled from the film body. CINTAA official Sushant Singh has also urged Vinta Nanda to file a complaint, promising "full support."
The film industry's #MeToo began two weeks ago when Tanushree Dutta repeated a decade-old claim of harassment by Nana Patekar. Others from the film fraternity outed as alleged predators include filmmaker Vikas Bahl, actor Rajat Kapoor and singer Kailash Kher.
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