Tanushree Dutta-Nana Patekar row:Eyewitness presents first hand report of what happened on the sets of 'Horn Ok Pleasss'

Journalist Janice Sequeira has responded to the allegations of harassment made by Tanushree Dutta against Nana Patekar.

For all the people who aren't aware about what happened, Tanushree had earlier, in an interview, accused Nana Patekar of misbehaving with her on the sets of 2008 film titled Horn Ok Pleassss. 

Tanushree was reportedly doing a dance number for the film. The actress alleged that Patekar wanted to do an intimate scene with her in the song and when she refused he allegedly called members of a political party to intimidate her.

Tanushree had also alleged that Ganesh Acharya, the director, and the producer of the film Samee Siddiqui witnessed everything happen yet did nothing about it.

In the shocking revelation, Tanushree accused the senior actor of harassing her sexually. 

Ganesh Acharya, who was the choreographer for the film, directed by Rakesh Sarang, refuted all the charges and called Patekar a 'sweet person'.

Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan, on the other hand, evaded the question diplomatically during the trailer launch of their film Thugs Of Hindostan.

However, journalist Janice Sequeira who was present on the sets 10 years ago, took to social media to share her version of the derisive incident.

Janice in a series of tweets wrote, "“Some incidents that take place even a decade ago remain fresh in your memory. What happened with #TanushreeDutta on the sets of “Horn Ok Please” is one such incident- I was there,” she wrote in her opening tweet. 

Janice wrote that she was on the sets to cover the behind-the-scenes aspect of the song. However, when she arrived on sets, she was told the shooting has been stalled because of Tanushree Dutta.

“I could see Tanushree on set, visibly upset about something. #NanaPatekar, choreographer Ganesh Acharya and a man (who I later found was the producer) were having a conversation, while 50-odd dancers sat waiting. The official version was that the “heroine was not cooperating”. A while later, shooting resumed. Tanushree resumed work, and a couple shots later, #NanaPatekar joined her. Not long after that, Tanushree walked off set. Shooting halted again. She locked herself in her vanity van, refusing to come out. Out of nowhere, goons turned up and began banging against the vanity van door. I was told the producers had called them to set. Cops arrived. Amidst this chaos, I got hold of #NanaPatekar. All he said was, “Meri beti jaisi hai” (she is like my daughter), which didn’t really make any sense at that point," the journalist wrote.

“Eventually, Tanushree’s parents arrived to pick her up. Her car was attacked, the windshield broken. I tried to get in touch with Tanushree to get her version of events. Around midnight, she asked me to come to her place. In tears, she narrated what really happened,” she added. 

Tanushree told Janice that Ganesh Acharya made her practise her dance steps for three days only to change it all on the day of the shoot so that Nana Patekar could be a part of the sequence. 
“Later, she said, a lewd dance step was introduced on the insistence of #NanaPatekar, so he could touch her inappropriately. That’s where alarm bells rang, and Tanushree decided to walk off set. What she didn’t expect was the aggression shown by the producers after,” her tweet read. 

Here, take a look at all the tweets of the journalist: 

Some incidents that take place even a decade ago remain fresh in your memory. What happened with #TanushreeDutta on the sets of “Horn Ok Please” is one such incident - I was there. #NanaPatekar

[THREAD]

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

I was a cub reporter in 2008, assigned by AajTak and Headlines Today to cover the BTS of a song being shot for this film. When I arrived, I was told shooting had been stalled because the actress, #TanushreeDutta was "being difficult". #NanaPatekar

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

I could see Tanushree on set, visibly upset about something. #NanaPatekar, choreographer Ganesh Acharya and a man (who I later found was the producer) were having a conversation, while 50-odd dancers sat waiting. The official version was that the “heroine was not cooperating”.

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

A while later, shooting resumed. Tanushree resumed work, and a couple shots later, #NanaPatekar joined her. Not long after that, Tanushree walked off set. Shooting halted again. She locked herself in her vanity van, refusing to come out.

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

Out of nowhere, goons turned up and began banging against the vanity van door. I was told the producers had called them to set. Cops arrived. Amidst this chaos, I got hold of #NanaPatekar. All he said was, “Meri beti jaisi hai”, which didn’t really make any sense at that point.

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

Eventually, Tanushree’s parents arrived to pick her up. Her car was attacked, the windshield broken. I tried to get in touch with Tanushree to get her version of events. Around midnight, she asked me to come to her place. In tears, she narrated what really happened. #NanaPatekar

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

Tanushree told me that after three days of rehearsals, Ganesh Acharya changed every step on the day of shoot. #NanaPatekar was never meant to be part of the choreography, but coerced the producers into getting him to shake a leg with Dutta.

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

Later, she said, a lewd dance step was introduced on the insistence of #NanaPatekar, so he could touch her inappropriately. That’s where alarm bells rang, and Tanushree decided to walk off set. What she didn’t expect was the aggression shown by the producers after.

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

The chat I had with Dutta hours after the incident was identical to the account she’s come out with now. How could a person’s version remain the same a decade later if there wasn’t any truth to it?

[Our chat was off-the-record, even though she went on to give interviews later.]

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

For anyone who’s either going to be ignoring or downplaying Dutta’s account as a desperate call for attention and question why she didn’t speak out earlier - she did. Interviews by Dutta were followed by a press conference by #NanaPatekar where she was branded “unprofessional”.

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

This was a decade ago. It could have possibly been the first instance of a Bollywood actress calling out sexual predators, and her voice was silenced by more powerful men who continued to have flourishing careers. Now she’s found her voice again. Shouldn't we listen? #NanaPatekar

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

Things aren’t the same anymore (even though, they aren’t exactly different either). The #MeToo movement has encouraged women to come out and speak about sexual misconduct in the West. If it’s, in turn, inspiring women in India to speak out, we need to find a way to encourage it.

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

We all know there are hundreds and thousands of women who are too afraid to speak out against sexual assault and misconduct, lest they be called "unprofessional". They will only speak up if we appreciate - even laud - the courage of #TanushreeDutta, and not look the other way.

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

Whatever the reality, we hope justice is served.