Actor Tanushree Dutta, who became the face of India's #MeToo movement back in 2018, on Friday said the recent disturbing video of her breaking down into tears was the result of "an emotional outburst" stemming from a long and painful experience of being harassed in Mumbai, a city where she is unsafe.
The actor told NDTV how she finds parallels in life with Sushant Singh Rajput. She also said that she was supposed to feature in a film with the late star who was found dead at his Mumbai apartment in 2020.
"I have been harassed for the past five years, and that video was simply an emotional outburst stemming from that long, painful experience. My building's security was replaced without my consent, the locks of my house were broken into, and a maid was deliberately planted in my home - she was mixing unknown substances into my food. All of this began after the #MeToo movement," Tanushree Dutta told NDTV in the interview.
"I was supposed to do a film with Sushant Singh Rajput, and it gave me hope that an A-lister was willing to work with me. But even he died by suicide - and I believe there is a deeper connection between his death and the kind of harassment I've been facing. His case and mine are not entirely disconnected," she added.
The former Miss India Universe also alleged that on a recent spiritual trip to Ujjain, someone tampered with the brakes of her autorickshaw "with an attempt to kill me". "I strongly believe there is a deliberate effort to mentally torture me to the point that I either end up like Sushant Singh Rajput - forced into suicide - or go insane like Pooja Mishra," she claimed.
Tanushree Dutta also levelled fresh allegations against actor Nana Patekar, whom she accused of sexual harassment and abuse in 2018 under the #MeToo wave in India.
"I had raised questions regarding Nana Patekar's foundation, and ever since then, people have been after me. A contract worth Rs 5 crore was given to the underworld to eliminate me. The underworld still exists - earlier it was figures like Dawood Ibrahim, but now it operates in new, subtler forms. I am constantly being followed."
"But since no one is chasing me with a knife right now, I'm not in a rush. I want to document every incident from the past five years thoroughly so that I can present it to the police in a proper and structured manner. The police hasn't done anything so far - in fact, I place more trust in the media than in law enforcement," she further said.
Earlier in the day, Tanushree Dutta said she is overwhelmed with media requests as she continues to speak out about the harassment she is facing.
"I'm swamped with interviews and haven't been keeping well either. I've lived a slow, low-key sadhana lifestyle last few years. I'm trying the best I can. Please bear with me. I'll talk to everyone slowly, slowly," she wrote on her Instagram Story.
In her previous interview to NDTV, the actor talked about her past experience with the police during the #MeToo movement in 2018. "My experience with the Mumbai Police during the 2018 #MeToo movement left a very bitter taste in my mouth," she said.
"They encouraged me to file an FIR back then. I spent four to five hours at the station, gave a detailed statement, and kept following up and nothing came of it. In Maharashtra, these molesters and harassers are often hobnobbing with politicians. They're protected. So, there's no real scope of justice," she added.
Tanushree Dutta had accused actor Nana Patekar of sexually harassing her during the shoot of a special song in the film Horn Ok Pleassss in 2009. She made these allegations in a Zoom interview in 2018. Nana Patekar, however, denied all the claims.
