Questions were recently raised on the upcoming Ajay Devgn-starrer De De Pyaar De for casting veteran actor Alok Nath who has been accused by five women of sexual harassment and rape. But Devgn stated during the film’s trailer launch that the film was completed much before the allegations cropped up against Nath.
Actress Tanushree Dutta has lashed out at Devgn for not sacking the accused from the film. It was Dutta who had started the #MeToo movement in India after she accused Nana Patekar of sexual misconduct.
In a long media statement, Dutta said, “During the #metoo movement in India the actor had tweeted and sworn never to work with those accused and now in a surprising and convenient turn of events is working with rape and harassment accused Alok Nath and supporting him make a comeback to Bollywood.”
Out of all the allegations against Nath, the most serious one was levelled by television producer Vinta Nanda, who accused him of rape.
The actress came down heavily not just on Devgn, but most stars for allegedly supporting harassers. “Doesn't this prove yet again that your big Bollywood heroes are truly zeroes! Overrated actors and human beings who have created a clout by clever PR machinery and careful manipulation of public sentiments, old stuffy morons who can't tell the difference between what's right and wrong and what is the need of the hour!"
Dutta also suggested that Nath should have been sacked from the film and replaced by someone else. “Nobody even knew before the posters and trailers that Alok Nath is in the film so if Ajay Devgn and the makers wanted they could have just quietly replaced him and re-shot his portions (which is barely 10-15 days for character actors in Bollywood) and given Vinta Nanda the respect she deserves, as well as several other women who were troubled by this guy but no!”
Devgn had defended the casting of Nath saying, “This is not the right platform to discuss this. All I want to say is this film was complete much before the allegations.”