#MeToo: Actress Payal Ghosh accuses Anurag Kashyap of sexual misconduct

Anurag Kashyap, one of India's best known filmmakers and an outspoken critic of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and prime minister Narendra Modi, was on Saturday evening accused of sexual misconduct by an actress.

The actress, Payal Ghosh, accused Kashyap of having tried to force himself upon her back in 2014. She made the allegation in an interview to a Telugu news channel and then in a statement that she released on Twitter, where she tagged the prime minister and sought his help.

“Anurag Kashyap forced himself on me and extremely badly. Narendra Modiji, kindly take action and let the country see the demon behind this creative guy," Ghosh wrote. 

Kashyap rubbished the allegations as false and retorted, "Wow, took you so long to try to silence me. Anyway, in your attempt to silence me, you have lied and dragged other women into it. At least keep some limits. All I want to say is that all your charges are baseless.”

Ghosh spoke at length about the alleged incident in her interview with ABN Telugu. “He opened his zip and tried to force himself [on me]." she told the channel. "He said, ‘All actresses who have worked with me are just a call away. Whenever I call them they just come running.’ I said, ‘Sir, I am very uncomfortable and I am not mentally prepared for this right now. Let me go’.”

Continuing her account of the alleged incident, Ghosh said, “He said, ‘I come from a very humble family and used to be a huge fan of Amitabh Bachchan. Today, Amitabh Bachchan calls me and asks me for work for him and his son. You should understand how big a person I am and not deny or throw tantrums or think of not getting involved with me. It will only benefit you. I will recommend you’.”

Following Ghosh's tweet and the interview, Rekha Sharma, chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW), asked her to submit a detailed complaint. “You may send me the detailed complaint at chairperson-ncw@nic.in and the NCW will look into it,” she promised.

In a separate tweet, Kashyap said, “Neither do I engage in such behaviour nor do I tolerate it. Rest, we will see what happens. In your video itself it is seen what is true and what is not. Blessings and love to you. And apologies for responding in Hindi.”

The next day, Kashyap’s lawyer Priyanka Khimani issued a statement: “My client Anurag Kashyap has been deeply pained by the false allegations of sexual misconduct that have recently surfaced against him. These allegations are completely false, malicious and dishonest. It is sad that a social movement as important as the #metoo movement has been co-opted by vested interests and reduced to a mere tool for character assassination. My client has been fully advised of his rights and remedies in law and intends to pursue them to the fullest extent.” 

Actress Kangana Ranaut, who has been making headlines of late for her battle with the Maharashtra government and her uncharitable remarks about Mumbai and is a strong supporter of prime minister Modi, promptly jumped in to demand Kashyap's arrest.

Replying to Ghosh’s tweet, she said, “Every voice matters.” In another tweet, she claimed that Kashyap was capable of doing all the things Ghosh had suggested and accused him of having cheated on all his partners and of never having been monogamous.

"Phantom was full of womanizers and many #MeToo accused," she said, referring to Phantom Films, the now-defunct production house started by Kashyap with Vikramaditya Motwane and Ranaut's Queen (2014) director Vikas Bahl. "I supported those victims before also and liberals started smear campaigns against me,” she said. Bahl was accused of sexual misconduct by a former employee of Phantom Films but she refused to file a police complaint or otherwise pursue legal options.

Ghosh thanked Ranaut for her support, saying, “This was high time and your support means a lot. We are women and we can together bring all of them down.”

However, contrary to Ranaut's claims, Kashyap received strong backing from both his ex-wives, Aarti Bajaj and Kalki Koechlin, as well as a host of other actresses in the film industry.

“You are a rock star, Anurag Kashyap," Bajaj wrote on Instagram. "Keep empowering women as you do and the safest place you create for all of them. I see it first hand with our daughter."

Bajaj went on to say that there is no integrity left and "the world is full of losers and no brains baying for the blood of anyone who has a voice".

Calling the sexual misconduct claim "the cheapest stunt I have seen till now", Bajaj said, "First it made me angry, then I laughed so hard as it cannot come more framed than this. I am sorry that you have to go through this. That’s their level. You stay high and keep using your voice. We love you.”

Actress Kalki Koechlin wrote, also on Instagram, “Don’t let this social media circus get to you. You have fought for the freedom of women in your scripts. You have defended their integrity in your professional space as well as in your personal life. I have been witness to it. In the personal and professional space you have always seen me as your equal. You have stood up for my integrity even after our divorce, and you have supported me when I felt unsafe in a work environment even before we got together.”

“This strange time where everyone gets to abuse one another and make false claims without any repercussions is a dangerous and repulsive one," Koechlin continued. "It is destroying families, friends and countries. But there is a place of dignity that exists beyond the virtual bloodbath. Hang on to that dignity, stay strong and keep doing the work you do. Love from an ex-wife.”

Besides Bajaj and Koechlin, actresses Radhika Apte and Taapsee Pannu also spoke up in support of Kashyap.

“You have been one of my closest friends, you have inspired me and always supported me," Apte said on Instagram. "You have always treated me as an equal and I cherish the mutual love and respect we have for each other. I have always felt immensely secure in your presence since the day I’ve known you. You have been and always will be my trusted friend. Love you.”

Pannu called Kashyap the ‘biggest feminist’. “For you, my friend, are the biggest feminist I know," she wrote, also on Instagram. "See you on the sets soon of yet another piece of art that shows how powerful and significant women are in the world you create.”

Producer and sometime collaborator Guneet Monga questioned the timing of the accusation. “I have wholeheartedly supported the #MeToo movement, but the timing of this accusation seems malicious," the Gangs Of Wasseypur producer said in a statement on Twitter, "especially when Anurag is taking a stand. I hope this claim is duly investigated. The truth will always rise. More power to you, Anurag. As many try to silence you, you continue to choose to speak up!”

Lyricist Garima Obrah said the working environment that Kashyap provides on his sets is the safest for women in the industry. “If you are a woman who wants to work in the film industry, there is no safer place than an Anurag Kashyap team," she said on Twitter. "And if you are a woman who used to be his friend, there is no way your bitterness can malign this movement and this man's reputation.”