Tanushree Dutta says she lost film for refusing to work with #MeToo accused: 'He wanted to change his image through me’
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Tanushree Dutta became the face of the #MeToo movement in India five years back and has been vocal about her ordeal ever since. In a recent interview with News18, the actor revealed that she was offered a project by a MeToo accused, saying he wanted to whitewash his image by working with her.
In the interview, she shared that she refused to work on the project as she didn’t want to set a wrong precedent.
Spotting the red flag
Talking about the price she is paying for being vocal, Tanushree said, “What’s needed is for every single actor willing to make a little sacrifice for a cause. In December 2018, I was offered a movie by a very big producer. She has made some of the biggest films. But her director was a #MeToo accused and I promptly refused the opportunity. Who’s losing in this bargain? Me. I haven’t done film work in a long, long time,” she tells us.”
Last year too, she got an offer from a film director from Kolkata, the actress added. She turned that down too because of the same reason. She feels the director wanted to work with her to whitewash his image following allegations of sexual misconduct.
“Why did he come to me? He thought that #MeToo ko kaafi time ho gaya hai and that if he casts me in his film, it will give the impression that I’m siding with him. He wanted to change his image through me... If I did that film, it would look like the leader of #MeToo is now supporting an accused. I politely refused. There was an agency involved. I told them that I want to let the film go. I even consulted my dad to get his opinion on the matter and he told me that it wouldn’t be ethically right to take up a film with someone who is an accused,” she added.
She said that she made the sacrifice when she needed work. Now, she hopes others can also display such integrity and work towards bringing a change.
Tanushree Dutta's #MeToo allegations
Tanushree made strong accusations against Nana Patekar for sexually harassing her on the sets of Horn Ok Please in 2008. She faced political backlash and criticism from artists in the Indian film industry, while Nana Patekar denied the allegations. In 2018, during the MeToo India movement, Tanushree once again spoke about the incident. She revealed how her career was jeopardised after she opened up about the harassment she faced on the movie set.
