After Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao's statement about stepping away from a project with a director 'accused of sexual misconduct', director Subhash Kapoor has responded stating that he "intends to prove his innocence in the court of law".
Kapoor has been sacked as the director of the upcoming film, Mogul, based on the life of music baron, Gulshan Kumar.
After Khan's statement, T-Series head Bhushan Kumar confirmed to Cinestaan.com that they were planning to remove Kapoor from the project. "Yes, we are doing that and trying to continue. In order to support the #MeToo movement we will change the director in that case," said Kumar. Later in the evening, Bhushan Kumar announced that "everyone at T-Series have decided to not work with the director."
Speaking in response to the development, Kapoor was quoted by The Indian Express, a daily, as saying, "I understand and respect Aamir Khan’s and Kiran Rao’s decision. Since matter is subjudice, I intend to prove my innocence in the court of law. But I do want to raise a question – is secretly filming a crying woman without her consent and knowledge and uploading it on social media not harassment or abuse? Or is it fine if she is related to someone who is “accused” of a misconduct. If your answer is latter then for me it’s nothing less than a khaap panchayat mentality."
Kapoor's statement refers to the accusation of sexual harassment levelled against him by actress Geetika Tyagi in 2014. The actress had walked into Kapoor's office, in the presence of his wife, and demanded answers. The entire event was filmed and the video was made available on YouTube.
In the video, Kapoor's wife, Dimple Kharbanda, can be seen pleading with Tyagi to keep the matter private to protect her son. Kapoor is seen admitting to bad behaviour, but does not admit to forcing himself on Tyagi.
Kapoor's latest statement implies that this incident was 'secretly' filmed, without the 'consent' of his wife.