Nana Patekar's legal team sends notice to Tanushree Dutta; actor to hold press conference soon

Actor Nana Patekar's legal counsel, Rajendra Shirodkar, has sent a legal notice to actress Tanushree Dutta asking her to 'deny the allegations and apologize' for accusing Patekar of sexual harassment.

Dutta had accused Patekar of misbehaving and sexually harassing her on the sets of the film Horn OK Pleassss (2009) in 2008.

The Hindu, a daily, quoted the lawyer as saying, "We have sent a legal notice to Ms Dutta today in the evening denying all allegations made by her and seeking a written apology. If she does not respond to the same, we shall take further action which can either be filing for criminal defamation or a suit for damages." 

Patekar, who is currently shooting for Housefull 4, will return to Mumbai and address a press conference on the issue.

The actress also accused director Rakesh Sarang, producer Sami Siddiqui, and choreographer Ganesh Acharya of abetting Patekar in the incident. Dutta also alleged that when she objected to the behaviour, her vehicle was smashed by members of a political party close to Patekar. A video of the incident has also gone viral on social media. 

While her initial complaint in 2008 had gone unnoticed, several prominent artistes from the Hindi film industry have stood up on social media for Dutta. In addition, journalist Janice Sequiera and an assistant director on the film, Shyni Shetty, have backed Dutta's version of the incident. 

Speaking to ANI, a news agency, on Friday 28 September, Dutta had said, "Given the recent developments, I am putting together a team of lawyers and advocates to defend my interests." 

Speaking about Patekar's potential press conference, Dutta said, "Why should I have any views on this statement [Patekar said he would hold a press conference to ‘look into the camera and answer every question]? That’s what pathological liars do." 

With the recent statements, it might be interesting to hear how the case takes a turn.