If action is not taken on Tanushree Dutta’s police complaint, we will approach HC, says her lawyer

Tanushree Dutta on Saturday filed a police complaint against veteran actor Nana Patekar for allegedly sexually harassing her on the sets of a film in 2008, police said. Dutta, in a recent interview alleged that Patekar had misbehaved with her while filming a song for the 2008 film, Horn Ok Pleasss.

She has filed the complaint at the Oshiwara police station against Patekar, choreographer Ganesh Acharya, producer Sameer Siddiqui and director Rakesh Sarang. According to Dutta’s advocate Nitin Satpute, the actor will be giving a statement to the police on Sunday.

Addressing the media, Satpute said, "We have all evidence of the incident and will move the High Court if proper action is not taken by the police." On being asked why did the actor file a complaint after 10 years, he said, "Tanushree had tried to lodge an FIR against Nana Patekar, Ganesh Acharya, the director and producer of the movie in 2008 but police made a fool of her by registering a case only against the incident of attack on her vehicle and didn't mention anyone's name. Moreover, she was also in depression due to the harassment that she had undergone. Now that Tanushree has recovered she decided to take action and registered a case against them."

In a letter, Dutta said that she lodged her complaint for the registration of FIR under Sections 354, 354 (A), Section 34 and Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). She further said before shooting the song, which was supposed to be a solo song picturised only on her, she had clearly mentioned that she will not enact or perform any lewd, vulgar or uncomfortable steps.

However, on the fourth day of the shoot, Patekar’s behaviour was inappropriate as he was grabbing her by the arms and pushing her around on the pretext of teaching her some steps, the complaint said. “When he was touching me indecently and unnecessary I felt very uncomfortable because of his behaviour, I felt he has outraged my modesty,” the letter read.

Dutta even complained to the choreographer, producer and director hoping some action would be taken and everything would be fine. But to her surprise, new steps were introduced by Acharya, which were intimate and included Patekar touching her inappropriately, she alleged.

She then called her parents and manager, who questioned Patekar’s actions. However, the producer refused to budge and Dutta had no choice but to leave the studio, the complaint said. On the way out, her car was attacked but with the help of the police she managed to escape from the spot, it added.

We were then taken to the police station and my statement was recorded but not as per the complaint. Many parts of my complaint were deleted, omitted and avoided, she alleged. She also lodged a complaint with CINTAA in March 2008.

“After the above incident I was under tremendous shock and I suffered psychological trauma and was unable to take work and suffered huge monetary loss in crores,” Dutta said in the letter.

Earlier in the day, Patekar, who was shooting for his upcoming film Housefull 4 in Jodhpur, landed here Saturday. “I said this ten years ago... a lie is a lie (Dus saal pehle bol chuka hoon, ab jo jhoot hai woh jhoot hai’),” Patekar told reporters here Saturday.

Patekar’s lawyer had sent a legal notice to Dutta demanding apology.