Vikas Bahl's name, in all probability, will be dropped from the credit slate of his upcoming film Super 30 owing to the allegations of sexual harassment leveled against him in the wake of the MeToo movement last year, a leading daily reports. Super 30, based on the life of mathematician Anand Kumar, stars Hrithik Roshan in the lead role and has been directed by Vikas.
Sources, however, told the daily that Hrithik has insisted upon dropping Vikas' name from the credits on account of the actor's zero-tolerance policy against sexual harassment.
[caption id="attachment_147480" align="aligncenter" width="875"] File photo of Vikas Bahl[/caption]
"Hrithik is clear that he doesn't want the director to be associated with the film. The producers have offered Vikas a severance package - one that is said to be significantly higher than the remuneration he was promised - to compensate for dropping his name from credit roll," a source was quoted as saying by the daily.
Vikas was accused of sexual harassment by a woman, a former employee of the film collective Phantom Films, for an incident that took place in 2015 in Goa during the promotion of the banner’s movie Bombay Velvet. Phantom Films, which Vikas was a part of with business partners Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Madhu Mantena, was dissolved in October.
"Since the allegation was not proven in court after the survivor refused to take the case further, Vikas hasn't faced any legal repercussions," the source added. Several reports also claimed last year that Vikas was dropped from post – production work of Super 30.
[caption id="attachment_127354" align="aligncenter" width="647"] Hrithik in a poster of Super 30[/caption]
The release date of Super 30 has been postponed and it will hit screens on July 26.