"False, Malicious, Dishonest, Fictitious": Anurag Kashyap's Statement On Sexual Harassment Allegations

Anurag Kashyap shared this photo (courtesy anuragkashyap10)

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, in a statement released by his lawyer Priyanka Khimani, clarified that the sexual harassment allegations levelled against him by an actress are "false, malicious and dishonest", adding that he intends to take legal action in the matter. In a tweet late night on Sunday, Anurag Kashyap shared a statement put out by his lawyer, which said: "My client, Anurag Kashyap, has been deeply pained by the false allegations of sexual misconduct that have recently surfaced against him. These allegations are completely false, malicious and dishonest." The actress, in a recent interview to ABN Telugu, accused the 48-year-old filmmaker of having "forced himself" on her. She even addressed tweets to the National Commission for Women and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking intervention in the matter.

Mr Kashyap, in his statement, said that the allegations against him simply undermine the seriousness of the #MeToo movement, which hit the film industry last year: "It is sad that a social movement as important as the #MeToo movement has been co-opted by vested interests and reduced to a mere tool for character assassination. Fictitious allegations of this nature seriously undermine the movement and seek to consciously trade upon the pain and trauma of actual victims of sexual harassment and abuse."

"My client has been fully advised of his rights and remedies in law and intends to pursue them to the fullest extent," Mr Kashyap's lawyer added.

Read Anurag Kashyap's tweet here:

And here is the statement from my lawyer @PriyankaKhimani .. on my behalf .. thank You pic.twitter.com/0eXwNnK5ZI

— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) September 20, 2020

On Sunday, Mr Kashyap addressed the allegations for the first time, in a series of tweets written in Hindi, describing the accusations as an "attempt to silence" him: "Wow, it took you so long to make an attempt to silence me. Never mind... in a bid to silence me, you have dragged another woman in this, despite being a woman. Please stick to the limits, Madame. All I want to say is all allegations are baseless."

क्या बात है , इतना समय ले लिया मुझे चुप करवाने की कोशिश में । चलो कोई नहीं ।मुझे चुप कराते कराते इतना झूठ बोल गए की औरत होते हुए दूसरी औरतों को भी संग घसीट लिया। थोड़ी तो मर्यादा रखिए मैडम। बस यही कहूँगा की जो भी आरोप हैं आपके सब बेबुनियाद हैं ।१/४

— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) September 19, 2020

बाक़ी मुझपे आरोप लगाते लगाते, मेरे कलाकारों और बच्चन परिवार को संग में घसीटना तो मतलब नहले पे चौका भी नहीं मार पाए।मैडम दो शादियाँ की हैं,अगर वो जुर्म है तो मंज़ूर है और बहुत प्रेम किया है , वो भी क़बूलता हूँ । चाहे मेरी पहली पत्नी हों, या दूसरी पत्नी हों या २/४

— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) September 19, 2020

अभी तो बहुत आक्रमण होने वाले हैं। यह बस शुरुआत है । बहुत फ़ोन आ चुके हैं, कि नहीं मत बोल और चुप हो जा । यह भी पता है कि पता नहीं कहाँ कहाँ से तीर छोड़ें जाने वाले हैं । इंतेज़ार है ।

— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) September 19, 2020

या कोई भी प्रेमिका या वो बहुत सारी अभिनेत्रियाँ जिनके साथ मैंने काम किया है , या वो पूरी लड़कियों और औरतों की टीम जो हमेशा मेरे साथ काम करती आयीं हैं , या वो सारी औरतें जिनसे मैं मिला बस , अकेले में या जनता के बीच -३/४

— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) September 19, 2020

मैं इस तरह का व्यवहार ना तो कभी करता हूँ ना तो कभी किसी क़ीमत पे बर्दाश्त करता हूँ । बाक़ी जो भी होता है देखते हैं । आपके विडीओ में ही दिख जाता है कितना सच है कितना नहीं , बाक़ी आपको बस दुआ और प्यार ।आपकी अंग्रेज़ी का जवाब हिंदी में देने के लिए माफ़ी ।

— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) September 19, 2020

Actress Kangana Ranaut, who often engages in bitter exchanges with her colleagues, Anurag Kashyap among them, tweeted in support of the actress who accused him. Ms Ranaut also claimed that she has faced sexual harassment in the Hindi film industry.

In 2018, when director Vikas Bahl's name was implicated in India's #MeToo movement, Anurag Kashyap, who co-founded production house Phantom Films with Vikas Bahl, Vikramaditya Motwane and Madhu Mantena, dissolved the production house. Several celebs from the film industry were named in alleged #MeToo stories when the movement took over social media in the last few years, among them were Nana Patekar, Alok Nath, Subhash Ghai, Sajid Khan, Anu Malik and others.