‘Queen’ director Vikas Bahl guilty of molesting female co-worker?

Just when we were coming to terms with news of TVF owner Arunabh Kumar molesting his female colleagues, here comes another piece of news that almost shook us. Filmmaker Vikas Bahl who helmed films like ‘Queen’ and ‘Shaandaar’, allegedly harassed a female co-worker sexually.

A report on Mumbai Mirror claimed the same, stating that the incident happened during one of their work trips to Goa. On being informed about it, Phantom Films and Reliance Entertainment set up a committee for further investigations.

“We (Reliance Entertainment and Phantom Films) have taken a hard stand, based on what we have heard and investigated. The decision needed to be taken because it was getting too much. There are not one, two or three, but multiple victims. I was in the middle of a film shoot when I came to know about the first incident and I had to stop my shoot and come to Mumbai… there is (after all) a young girl on whom an intoxicated Vikas forced himself while they were in Goa. He has behaved badly in the past as well, but when this specific complaint came, we needed to act on it,” a source was quoted in the report. (Also Read: Who is that mystery girl with Anurag Kashyap at Vikas Bahl’s Diwali party?)

However, Bahl has quashed the rumours.

“Nothing has happened. I am running the company. There is no complaint to HR and there is no Vishakha committee. I have heard about this particular lady you are speaking about and the Goa incident. She is not my employee. Yes, I am friends with her, we have worked together and there is a production job we have done together… but if she is feeling like this, I would like to sit across a table from her and talk to her. I want to ask her if I have crossed a line, whether I have done anything to hurt her and if she feels that way, I would like to apologise for it. I have known her for long. For two-and-half years she has never made me feel as if she is uncomfortable (around me). I have worked very hard to be the person I have become. I do feel a little victimised but I don’t know what to do about that,” he said, adding that Phantom Films was like a family to him and that he gave up on a lucrative job to venture into it.

Watch this space for more updates.

Ranjini Maitra

Journalist. Writer. Reader. Enthu cutlet. Mood-swing machine. Day dreamer. Sandwiched between ‘live life fully’ and ‘lose some weight’. Mantra of life: Love and love more.