Truth will prevail: Nandita Das on #MeToo allegations against father
Mumbai– Actress-filmmaker Nandita Das, whose father — artist Jatin Das — has been accused of sexually harassing a woman, says while she will continue to add voice to the #MeToo movement, she believes the truth will prevail in the “disturbing allegations” against the Padma Bhushan recipient.
“As a strong supporter of the #MeToo movement, I want to reiterate that I will continue to add my voice to it, despite the disturbing allegations made against my father, which he has categorically denied,” Nandita posted on Facebook.
“I have maintained from the very start that this is the time we all need to listen, so that women (and men) feel safe to speak up. At the same time, it is also important to be sure about allegations so as not to dilute the movement. I am touched by the number of people – friends and strangers – who are concerned and are trusting my integrity. I do believe truth will prevail. And that is all I have to say on this matter,” she added.
Conservationist Nisha Bora on Tuesday accused Jatin Das of sexually harassing her at his Khidki village studio in 2004. Das refuted the allegation as “ridiculous and vulgar”.
I never understood the script but the script maker: Shah Rukh Khan
Mumbai–On the very special occasion of the 20th anniversary celebration “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” (KKHH), the lead actor of the film, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan said on Tuesday that initially, director Karan Johar narrated a ‘crap story’ but he signed the film because of the conviction of the director.
“I never listen to scripts, I listen to the heartbeats of the people I work with at times millennial chat with me and say things like why you let go of that script that was such a great script. Till date, I never understood a script. And I can say this with confidence that I never understood the script but the script maker or the filmmaker,” Shah Rukh said in presence of the cast crew and the media as part of the celebration of the 20 years of KKHH.
He went on adding, “Karan came and narrated an utterly nonsense crap story to me; which is certainly not the one that finally you people saw in the film. In his strange way Karan, the man with many words tried to impress me with his crap story. So yes, I really did not understand the story when I signed in. and I am glad that I did not get into the story and just went ahead with the conviction of Karan, otherwise the film would have not been the way it came out.
From Kareena Kapoor Khan who manage to make time despite having her marriage anniversary party with family, friend and film director Zoya Akhtar, Ayan Mukherjee, Neha Dhupia, Abhishek Bachchan, Shweta Bachchan Nanda, Twinkle Khanna to young actors like Janhvi Kapoor, Ishan Khattar, Varun Dhawan, Siddharth Malhotra, rapper Badshah among many others along with Karan Johar and the star cast of the film joined the party to celebrate the glorious journey of the film.
Women shouldn’t be judged on #MeToo stories: Soni Razdan
Mumbai– Veteran actress Soni Razdan, also the mother of Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt, says while the #MeToo movement is a positive change against sexual harassment, women who don’t speak up should not be judged for their silence.
Soni told IANS here: “Living in a patriarchal society I know that such thing is horrifying for any girl and that is why the movement is a positive sign, where people are coming up with their stories.
“It is easy to say that if such harassment happens, walk out of your job. But people depend on that job, it is about their livelihood, a question of survival. So while we must encourage victims for coming up with their #MeToo stories, we should not judge women for not sharing their stories.”
Asked why sexual harassment happens at workplace, she said: “When someone is humiliating and harassing a woman, he must be knowing that the victim is needy and left with no option but to tolerate such harassment to save the job. It is about livelihood.”
The actress, who recently travelled to Busan International Film Festival for her film “Yours Truly”, said: “Every company should have zero tolerance on sexual harassment so that victims feel secure while taking a stand.”
Kajol, KJo, Ayan Mukerji support organ donation campaign
Mumbai– Directors Karan Johar and Ayan Mukerji, and actress Kajol have lent support to the ‘Real Hero’ organ donation campaign.
“A real hero is someone who helps everyone else recycle their organs. I have pledged my own organs and you can too,” Ayan said in a video posted on Twitter on Wednesday.
A similar video message was shared by Karan and an audio message by Kajol to support the cause of organ donation.
This is in continuation to Amar Gandhi Foundation’s initiative that started on August 13 on Organ Donation Day.
Veteran actress-politician Hema Malini and actress Soha Ali Khan had also appealed to people via Twitter, to be a “Real Hero”.
Bhupendra Gandhi of Amar Gandhi Foundation said: “There is an entire ecosystem that enables organ and tissue donation. Everyone in the process is a ‘Real Hero’.”
The ‘Real Hero’ was conceptualised by The Network. The campaign was jointly presented by Amar Gandhi Foundation and Regional and State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation, Mumbai.
Aashim Gulati faced lot of rejection
Mumbai– Actor Aashim Gulati says there was a time when he had to face “a lot of rejections”.
“I am originally from Delhi, so when I shifted to Mumbai for work, I faced a lot of rejections. I did not let this negativity get to my head. It has been four and a half years since I have been chanting and infusing positivity in my life,” Aashim said in a statement.
He made his debut on the small screen with “Gulmohar Grand” in 2015.
Aashim is now playing the role of Karn in “KarnSangini”, which is set in the backdrop of the Mahabharat.
“Karn, who was a very skilled warrior, failed to receive the recognition he deserved and had to prove himself all the time. I relate a lot to Karn. Hence, I decided to take up this role,” he said.
Overwhelming to be in film like ‘Namaste England’: Aditya Seal
Mumbai– For “Tum Bin 2” actor Aditya Seal, the experience of working on a film like “Namaste England’ has been an overwhelming experience.
The movie, directed by Vipul Shah, features Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra.
“It’s overwhelming and amazing to be a part of such a big film. Arjun and Parineeti are like a house on fire. Their little ‘nok jokh (bickering)’ is super cute and keeps you entertained,” Aditya said in a statement.
He says he can’t reveal much about the character he essays in the movie.
“Namaste England” will release on Thursday. (IANS)
