Over the past few weeks, there have been many blind items about the #MeToo movement and the accused ones. Naturally, most of these blind items were about how the industry is quick to forgive and forget. Is it “forget” or do they pretend nothing happened? They are good at pretending that they didn’t know, though. Great actors at that!

So, this week’s blind item is about another famous director but this time, it is about how a star aka a top actress today was also in the same situation as the ladies, who accused him of predator behaviour the minute they stepped in his office.

The star is having a good run at the box office, so doubt she will say anything that will take away that attention. Maybe that’s why she doesn’t feel the need to speak out…

Check out the blind item from Rajeev Masand.

 

Bollywood Blind Item

 

The Indiscreet Director

Last year while the MeToo movement was gathering momentum in India, a television actress of foreign nationality ‘outed’ a prominent Bollywood film director for his wily ways. The lady in question revealed how the filmmaker behaved inappropriately with her when she visited him at his office, practically lunging at her for a kiss during their meeting. He also made it very clear that he’d cast her as the lead in a new film he was making if she played by the rules.

At one point, she revealed, she began to actually ask herself if it was worth giving in to his demands just to get him off her back, and to land the break she was seeking. She said better sense prevailed, and she decided against it eventually. She felt empowered to name and shame him only when she saw others come forward with their own horror stories about powerful men in the industry.

It turns out that the actress who made those revelations hasn’t had much work since. The director, although his last film was a turkey, remains unscathed for lack of evidence against him, but mostly because the film industry has chosen to look the other way each time one of its members have been accused.

Recently, a successful and outspoken leading lady revealed to her friends that the same filmmaker had tried acting fresh with her when she visited his office some years ago for a script narration. The actress has said she was relatively new at the time, she was caught completely off guard by his behaviour, but stormed out after giving him a piece of her mind. She has told her inner circle she chose not to come out and speak, even after the director had been named last year, because she didn’t want that to become the only thing people remembered when they spoke about her.

Some of her friends have reportedly told her she’s in a position today where her voice will carry weight and might lead to some change, not to mention that it will give credibility to the other relatively low-profile actress’ story. But the star is firm in her decision to stay out of it.

 

OSOP Guesses

Bollywood Film Director: Vipul Shah