'Tanushree Dutta was almost attacked for saying no to shoot with Nana Patekar'

A decade ago, Bollywood was rocked by allegations of sexual misconduct against veteran actor Nana Patekar. Tanushree Dutta had claimed that he got too close for comfort on the sets of Horn Ok Pleassss, when they were shooting for a special song. Not too long after that, she disappeared from the Bollywood scene.

Recently, Tanushree opened up about why the #MeToo movement is not gaining momentum in Bollywood. "The entire industry saw what happened, but there was not one word of condemnation from anybody," she told a leading news website, adding that the popular perception was that she lost her career for speaking up about the unwanted advances.

Former India Today reporter Janice Sequeira revealed, in a Twitter thread, what really happened on the day Tanushree refused to shoot for the song with Nana. "Some incidents that take place even a decade ago remain fresh in your memory. What happened with Tanushree Dutta on the sets of Horn Ok Pleassss is one such incident - I was there," she wrote.

"I was a cub reporter in 2008, assigned by Aaj Tak and Headlines Today to cover the BTS of a song being shot for this film. When I arrived, I was told shooting had been stalled because the actress, Tanushree Dutta was "being difficult"," she recalled.

Janice saw Tanushree looking "visibly upset", while Nana, choreographer Ganesh Acharya and producer Samee Siddiqui were have having a discussion. All this while, around 50 dancers waited for the shoot to resume. "The official version was that the 'heroine was not cooperating'," Janice wrote.

Soon, Tanushree was back in front of the camera, and a few shots later, she was joined by Nana. "Not long after that, Tanushree walked off set. Shooting halted again. She locked herself in her vanity van, refusing to come out. Out of nowhere, goons turned up and began banging against the vanity van door. I was told the producers had called them to set. Cops arrived," Janice recalled.

Even as chaos descended on the sets, the journalist managed to get hold of Nana. "All he said was, 'Meri beti jaisi hai', which didn't really make any sense at that point," she wrote. When Tanushree's parents reached the sets to pick her up, her car was attacked and the windshield was broken.

Janice tried reaching Tanushree, who tearfully narrated her version of events. "Tanushree told me that after three days of rehearsals, Ganesh Acharya changed every step on the day of shoot. Nana Patekar was never meant to be part of the choreography, but coerced the producers into getting him to shake a leg with Dutta," the journalist said.

"Later, she (Tanushree) said, a lewd dance step was introduced on the insistence of Nana Patekar, so he could touch her inappropriately. That's where alarm bells rang, and Tanushree decided to walk off set. What she didn't expect was the aggression shown by the producers after," Janice revealed.

Tanushree went public with her story, but Nana held a press conference soon after that, branding her "unprofessional". "It could have possibly been the first instance of a Bollywood actress calling out sexual predators, and her voice was silenced by more powerful men who continued to have flourishing careers. Now she's found her voice again. Shouldn't we listen?" Janice asked.

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