In the wake of India’s MeToo movement, many women have been opening up about the harassment incidents which they have faced in the past. It all started with former Miss India Tanushree Dutta’s shocking revelation about veteran actor Nana Patekar. Till now, many prominent celebrities including Alok Nath, Rajat Kapoor, Kailash Kher and Vikas Bahl have been accused of sexual misconduct. Even music director Anu Malik has also been accused of the same by singer Shweta Pandit, reported Zoom TV.
Following the allegations, Anu Malik has now been dropped as the judge of Indian Idol season 10. In an official statement, Sony TV spokesperson said, “Anu Mallik is no longer a part of the Indian Idol jury panel. The show will continue its planned schedule and we will invite some of the biggest names in Indian music as guests to join Vishal and Neha to judge the extraordinary talent of Indian Idol season 10.”
Anu Malik has, however, denied the claims. Earlier in a statement, his lawyer had said, “The allegations made against my client are emphatically denied as completely false and baseless. My client respects the #metoo movement but to use this movement to start a character assassination mission is obnoxious.”
On October 17, Shweta took to her Twitter handle and detailed the alleged incident that took place in 2001. “This is my #MeToo and have to warn young girls about #AnuMalik & let you know your #TimesUp. Thank you @sonamohapatra for speaking up about him & supporting this,” she wrote.
In her post, Shweta revealed that she was just 15 years old when Anu Malik made her uncomfortable by asking to kiss him.
Even singer Sona Mahapatra called out Anu Malik in her Instagram post, She had written, “This guy, #KailashKher is a serial predator & has been for years as are many others like Anu Malik in the industry. I cannot be tweeting about everyone cus I work 18 hour work days & have a life to live & breathe in.”
Anu Malik has not reacted on the news as of now. Stay tuned for more updates.
