Rajkummar Rao says an impartial probe in the Raju Hirani sexual harassment case is a must
Rajkummar Rao added that he fully supports the decision of the makers of Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga to drop Rajkumar Hirani’s name from the film’s credits.
bollywood Updated: Feb 01, 2019 15:51 ISTSonam Kapoor may want to reserve her views on the Rajkumar Hirani sexual harassment case but her co-actor Rajkummar Rao has said that a fair and impartial investigation is a must.
Speaking to Huffington Post before the release of his new film, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, Rajkummar said that he fully supports the move to remove Hirani’s name from the credits of Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga. Hirani is a co-producer of the film, along with Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
He was quoted as saying: “It was absolutely shocking when I read the article. The Ek Ladki Ko... team took the decision to revoke his credit from the film and I fully respect and stand by that decision.”
“Whenever such an allegation comes out, there has to be an investigation where both parties put their points across. It’s only then we can conclusively pass an informed judgement. Only after that we will know specifically what transpired. This is the least that can be done.”
Rajkummar added that he was not aware of the details of the case but added that he did feel sad for the woman. He said “I feel very bad for the woman,” and hoped that only after a proper inquiry would one be able to form a more informed opinion.
When asked why many in Bollywood have been silent on the matter, Rajkummar said that they were perhaps in shock and wanted to hear his side of the story before speaking up. He also said how men were very conscious of what they say now and how they behave in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
During the promotions of the film, Sonam was asked about the Hirani case. Reacting to questions, she had said that she would like to reserve judgment and be very responsible before she says anything more on this subject, because it could derail the #MeToo movement.
In an interview to HuffPost, published on January 3, an assistant of Raju Hirani’s accused him of sexual harassment during the making of Sanju. She claimed that the harassment continued from March 2018 to September 2018 during the time her father was battling a terminal illness, before passing away.
The report says three of her friends have corroborated her story.
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First Published: Feb 01, 2019 15:48 IST