Aahana Kumra, best known for her role in Lipstick Under My Burkha, has shared her unpleasant experiences with filmmaker Sajid Khan and former talent manager Anirban Blah in the wake of the #MeToo movement that has encompassed India. During an interview with a leading daily, Aahana spoke of a text message that Sajid had sent her at one point of time, which was rather inappropriate, and also added that Anirban misbehaves with aspiring actresses as well.
"Sajid Khan once messaged me, ‘Oh, you can look hot in a bikini also!’ I think it shocked him that I could look good in a bikini. This was after our meeting,” Aahana told the daily.
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Aahana Kumra photographed in Mumbai.[/caption]
Her experience with Anirban was equally irksome as she said, “Talent managers like Anirban Blah speak horribly to aspiring actresses. What is wrong with these men? Anirban Blah met me at the lobby of a five-star hotel and said, ‘There’s a room here. Let’s negotiate there.’ I walked out of that meeting because I wasn’t comfortable. It didn’t go down well with me. That’s ‘normal’ conversation he has with women. The day I chatted with him, I was shaken."
Sajid has been accused of behaving inappropriately with actress Saloni Jain while she was working with him. Apart from Saloni, a senior journalist has also revealed that the filmmaker had “exposed himself and forcefully kissed her” during an interview. Aahana, in fact, also said that she had a similar experience like that of Saloni.
"I had a meeting with Sajid Khan about a year ago, knowing the fact that he is a shady guy. I met him and he did the same thing that Saloni (Chopra) has written about him. Same drill — you go to his house, you are escorted to his room which is pretty dark. He makes you watch what he’s watching. He did not make a pass at me, but he said that he wanted to get to know me. When I asked him why we can’t sit outside, he said his mother was sitting there so why trouble her. I asked him to switch on the lights of the room, which he did. You have to be assertive here. He wanted to chat with me. I told him my mom’s a police officer which I think made him behave. But he still asked me bizarre questions like, ‘Would you have sex with a dog if I gave you `100 crores’? He didn’t touch me. I guess he was trying to give me gyaan on how I need to be a dumbf*** or laugh at his sexist jokes if I wanted to be a mainstream heroine in his films. He implied that I think too much and that I am too vocal about what I think. Hence, I am not mainstream actress material. Point being, you can meet anyone, but be wise about who you work with,” Aahana said.
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Sajid Khan[/caption]
Sajid, however, has denied the accusations of sexual harassment levelled against him in his response to a notice sent by IFTDA (Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association).
Anirban Blah, who co-founded celebrity management company KWAN Entertainment, reportedly relocated to Bangalore with his family after being accused of sexual harassment by four anonymous women. KWAN Entertainment had asked Anirban to step aside from his duties and responsibilities immediately after allegations against him surfaced.
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