In 2018, on #MeToo radar was YRF Talent and Business Head, Ashiish Patil. Known as a strong influence in Bollywood, Ashiish Patil was accused by a woman with allegations of sexual exploitation. Later, Ashish had to step down from his position as vice president of YRF Talent. But now, it seems like he has taken up production again and his project has found a platform too.
As per the latest reports, before the allegations were made public, a bunch of actors starred in an anthology series called Pyaar Actually. Some of the actors included Bhumi Pednekar, Saqib Saleem and Riteish Deshmukh among others. The project was created for Diamond Producer's Association which has now found its platform on Hotstar. The actors are allegedly unaware that the project is now on a digital platform and even the association wasn't kept in the loop.
A production hand informed, "It was shot in 2018, way before allegations against Ashiish came to light. It was a corporate commercial that was commissioned by Diamond Producers Association. Ever since his ouster, neither the actors nor the production house was kept in the loop about the project. Whoever owns the final material could have informed the actors out of sheer courtesy, but the talent can't lay claim to it or object to it."
A Hotstar insider informed that the show was acquired late last year after Modern Love worked wonders for Amazon Prime. "But Hotstar has a firm stand against sexual harassment, which is why Ashiish was not credited in the slate."
(Source: Mid Day)