Kangana Ranaut voices support for Tanushree Dutta; they took away your career but not your voice, says Simi Garewal

More and more voices from Bollywood are coming forward in support of actor Tanushree Dutta, who has alleged that actor Nana Patekar sexually harassed her on the sets of a film. The latest to throw their weight behind the her are Kangana Ranaut and Simi Garewal.

Kangana, known for her no-nonsense attitude, has lauded Tanushree’s courage to come forward and speak about her ordeal, adding that such debates are healthy. In an interview to Pinkvilla, Kangana said: “I am not here to pass judgement. That’s neither my place nor my intention. I appreciate her courage to speak about alleged harassment that has been caused to her. It’s her and the accused’s fundamental right to speak about their experience of the same situation. Such dialogue is very healthy and it will bring about a lot of awareness.”

Nana Patekar has denied the allegations and has said that he is contemplating taking legal action against Tanushree.

Meanwhile, another prominent personality, Simi Garewal has spoken out for Tanushree. In a tweet, she revealed how, for years, she had heard horror stories about “this predatory jungle”. She wrote: “#TanushreeDutta I’ve heard horror stories thru the years of this predatory jungle. Some girls became stars. Others disappeared quietly. Yes they took away your career. They darkened 10 years of your life. But they can’t take away your voice & your courage!!”

Well-known actor Renuka Shahane had written a post on her Facebook page, supporting Tanushree and questioning the industry’s style of functioning. She raised the issue of how a star kid wouldn’t have had to face the problems that Tanushree faced and debated the behaviour of powerful men in the industry.

Kangana has been forthright in denouncing what she sees wrong in Bollywood. Very recently, she got into a feud with actor Sonu Sood after he walked out of her film Manikarnika midway through production. She accused him of refusing to work under a female director while he said his decision had to do with competence, not gender.

Simi Garewal, who started out in the early 1960s, has seen careers flourish and flounder in equal measure.

In the aftermath of Tanushree’s claims, a host of Bollywood stars have come out in her support, including Farhan Akhtar, Priyanka Chopra, Parineeti Chopra and Richa Chadha. Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan were both asked about it at the launch of Thugs of Hindostan, while Salman Khan was asked the same at a public event recently. However, they all evaded the topic.

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