Earlier, in the wake of the #MeToo movement going on at the moment, actress Chitrangda Singh too recounted her harrowing experience while shooting for Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer Kushan Nandy's 2016 film Babumoshai Bandookbaaz.
As per reports, Chitrangada was asked to “take off her sari, get on top of her hero and rub herself”.
When Chitrangada protested, she was subjected to taunts until she put her foot down.
However, according to a report by Bollywood Hungama, the actress has said that her co-star Nawazuddin Siddiqui, didn't come forward to support her and rather waited for the storm to blow over as the producers and the director continued to harass her for a particular scene.
She has been quoted as saying, “I pleaded that this was not in my comfort zone. I said I was wearing only a petticoat underneath the saree. The director told me not to fuss and just do what was required. I was intimidated bullied and threatened into doing it. Some crew members were mortified. But, Nawaz just sat there waiting for the storm to blow over.”
Later, Kushan Nandy paid her a visit and “he didn’t ask me if I was okay. He just asked, ‘Are you doing the scene?’ I said no. He left. Nawaz could’ve taken a stand against my harassment. He didn’t. When empowered men in the film industry do not take a stand, the harassers feel encouraged.”
The actress also went on to say that as much as she'd wants to forget the incident, it just refuses to go away saying, “I had spoken about it when it happened two years ago. But, I was declared ‘troublesome’ and ‘moody’ and made to pack my bags.”
She further said that unless women in the film industry join hands against exploitation, it would continue to happen pointing out that soon after her exit, another actor, Bidita Bag, stepped in her place.
“How can men take our voices of dissent seriously when another actress walks right into a role after one actress says she’s been harassed?” she questioned.
Adding, “It is true that women are the worst enemies of their own kind. Even when I was being harassed on the sets of Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, the film’s lady producer was there making things worse for me.”
On the work front, Chitrangada Singh will next be seen in Bazaar alongside Saif Ali Khan and debut actor Rohan Mehra.
