Richa Chadha initiates legal action after her name dragged in MeToo case against Anurag Kashyap

MUMBAI: Actor Richa Chadha on Monday said she has initiated "appropriate" legal action after her name was dragged in a "defamatory" manner by actor Payal Ghosh, who has accused filmmaker Anurag Kashyap of sexual harassment.

On Saturday, Ghosh took to Twitter, claiming that the "Gangs of Wasseypur" director was sexually inappropriate towards her, an allegation Kashyap called "baseless". In a video released to ABN Telugu, Ghosh claimed that the incident happened in 2014-2015.

The actor, who made her Hindi debut with Rishi Kapoor-Paresh Rawal starrer "Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi", also claimed that Kashyap boasted about his connection with megastar Amitabh Bachchan and claimed that there were other female artistes who he got intimate with, including Chadha.

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— TheRichaChadha (@RichaChadha) September 20, 2020

Chadha took to Twitter to share her lawyer Saveena Bedi Sachar's statement. "Our Client has initiated appropriate legal action and shall further pursue her legal rights and remedies in law as may be advised in her best interest," the statement read.

The statement further read that the "Fukrey" star condemns her name being "unnecessarily and falsely dragged in a defamatory manner" into controversies and allegations raised by "third parties". "Though our client believes that genuinely wronged women should get justice at all costs, there are legislations that are intended to ensure that women have an equal standing in their workplace and to ensure that they have a cordial workplace in which their dignity and self-respect is protected. No woman can be allowed to misuse their liberties to harass other women with unsubstantiated or non-existent, false and baseless allegations," it added.

When a Twitter user criticized the actor for speaking against casting couch in the past and now siding with Kashyap, Chadha called her out for being agenda driven.

"Attempt to rape is a serious allegation. She should have gone to the cops. You think feminism is women dragging your name in an obscene, unnecessary way in their personal battles? So I can make cheap allegations about you on TV? Your agenda has blinded you towards truth. Shame," the actor wrote in reply.

Kashyap, too, shared a statement from his lawyer, Priyanka Khimani, that said the 48-year-old director has been "fully advised of his rights and remedies in law and intends to pursue them to the fullest extent". Dismissing the allegations on Sunday, Kashyap called Ghosh's claim an attempt to "silence" him for his outspoken views.

The director found support in his industry friends, including Hansal Mehta, Taapsee Pannu, Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub as well as former wives, film editor Aarti Bajaj and actor Kalki Koechlin who credited him for creating safe work space for women.