After a former Phantom Films employee, an actress has now come out and accused director Vikas Bahl of sexual harassment. Nayani Dixit, who played the supporting actress in the Kangana Ranaut-starrer Queen (2014), has claimed that the filmmaker gave her a dreadful time during the shoot of the film.
While speaking to entertainment portal Bollywood Hungama, she said, “Doing Queen was the biggest mistake of my life. Whatever the girl has accused Vikas Bahl is not at all wrong because he also tried his hand on me. I literally told him that ‘main tumhe maarungi if you do this again’. So I am sure he did the same with the girl in question as well.”
According to Dixit, this changed Bahl’s behaviour. “Next day, when I came on the sets, something went wrong with my hair. I didn’t get it as it’s not my area of concern. But Vikas blasted me and he behaved very weird with me. Now when I look back, I realized why that behaviour. Since he did not get a chance on me, he was taking revenge,” she added.
There also came a situation, she claims, when Bahl asked her to share his room. “They kept us in a two-star hotel. When I said that I am not comfortable, Vikas told me that he could share his room with me. Look at his audacity!” said Dixit.
She also claimed that Bahl also made life tough for a girl in the costume department, which even irked Kangana. “We were shooting for the ‘London Thumakda’ song and in the crew, there was a 21-year-old local Delhi girl who was in the costume department. Vikas flirted even with her and she was very uncomfortable and she later confided in me saying why this person is always behind me. Even Kangana Ranaut was witness to this drama and even she was taken aback. She remarked, ‘Tu pagal hai kya?’ [sic]” she said.
Dixit revealed the reason behind her silence all these years. “I did not say anything then. I was quiet at that time as firstly, I was alone. I did not know anyone neither from Phantom nor from the cast. Hence, I remained mum and decided to speak when the time is right. Now I thought that the time is right,” she said.
She also claimed that she had to go through other issues like staying in a small vanity van and a two-star hotel. When she decided to stay at her friend’s place, they allegedly didn’t allow this too.
But that’s not all. Another actress claimed sexual harassment by Bahl at a party. She said while talking to MissMalini.com, “One day he was having a party where a lot of people I knew were going so I felt safe. But he got really drunk and he forcibly tried to kiss me on the lips, I pushed him and left immediately and he pretended not to see me leaving.”
She added that Bahl didn’t stop at that. “At least 20 other people were at this party. I left in a rush and went to my boyfriend’s house because I was so disgusted, but he kept sending me texts saying ‘Why did you leave, I could have dropped you’. I wasn’t drinking, smoking, smoking up or doing anything. I had just had my dinner and had gone with some writer buddies,” she added.
According to her, Bahl pretends to be drunk in such situations. “That’s what he does. Pretending to be drunk then saying things like, ‘I didn’t do anything. Did you do something?’ This is why I am not requesting him for work, and have boycotted him entirely socially and professionally,” she said.
She even questioned Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Madhu Mantena for starting the production house Phantom Films with Bahl. “His ex-wife knew about his shenanigans too. He basically ruined her life. He got fired from some places he worked at before on similar grounds. My question is why start a company with a repeat offender when you know?” she asked.