Filmmaker Vikas Bahl recently caught himself amidst the raging Me Too movement in Bollywood after a former woman employee at Phantom Films accused him of sexual assault. Actress Kangana Ranaut, who worked with him in Queen, also gave out a statement on his predatory and indecent behaviour with her on film sets. But the trouble increased for Vikas when his partners, Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, corroborated the charges against him by giving out official statements in support of the victim of alleged 2015 assault.
Now in a turn of events, Vikas has sent separate legal notices to Kashyap and Motwane on Tuesday via email, for defaming him and orchestrating the whole campaign against him. As per a report in a leading daily, the issued notice states that Kashyap had also bribed another employee of the production house to make allegations against Vikas. "This makes us wonder whether the alleged incident [of sexual assault] also has any authenticity, given that the alleged victim was, in fact, working as your own employee," it mentions.
Further calling them as MeToo opportunists, Vikas accused them of making him look responsible for the fallout of Phantom Films. The notice reads as, "You are neither a witness nor the alleged victim, but instead an opportunist seeking to derive benefit based on unsubstantiated information. The alleged incident has not been established in any court of law and that you have exploited the media to propagate your own personal vendetta."
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L-R: Anurag Kashyap, Vikas Bahl, Madhu Mantena and Vikramaditya Motwane[/caption]
For the unversed, Anurag Kashyap revealed last weekend that his production house, run by him along with partners Madhu Mantena, Vikramaditya, and Vikas Bahl has folded as they have decided to go separate ways. Claiming that they had anyway been discussing dissolution of Phantom Films for the past few months, the notice that Kashyap and Motwane have received, adds that putting the blame of the production house shutting down solely on Vikas was in bad taste.
Last but not the least, the notice sheds light on the contradictions in Kashyap’s stated position on the case then and now by mentioning, "there is personal agenda behind it [their statements in the media supporting the victim]." Vikas has also asked for an "unconditional apology and to withdraw messages from social media."
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