'Mushtaq told me to sleep with him if I wanted to keep my job'

Rahul Raj Singh (left) said Mushtaq Shaikh made multiple sexual advances towards him

After helping scores of women to call out sexual predators, the #MeToo movement has now given courage to the first male survivor to speak out against sexual harassment in the film and television industry. Actor Rahul Raj Singh has accused screenwriter and producer Mushtaq Shiekh of making repeated sexual advances towards him, and eventually ruining his career upon being rejected.

Rahul was last in the news when he was arrested on charges of abetting the suicide of his actor girlfriend, Pratyusha Banerjee (of the Balika Vadhu fame), amid allegations that he had been an abusive partner. He is currently out on bail.

"I have been an actor for the past 10 years, and have now been inspired by the women in our acting, film and TV fraternity to come out with my story of harassment by Mushtaq Shiekh," he told the media.

Rahul met Mushtaq sometime in 2006, he said, when he was a model looking to break into acting. "I was the Grasim Mr India model in 2004, when I was 19 years old. A couple of years later, I came in contact with Mushtaq Shiekh. Mushtaq was a very powerful person in Bollywood then. [He was] someone who was on first-name basis with Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Farah Khan and Ekta Kapoor. He seemed to be impressed with me. I was glad because I realised I would get work," he recalled.

"He told me, 'I have thought about you for one project and want to cast you in it. Meet me after office hours and we will discuss the project'. I did not want to judge him on his sexual preferences, but after the second and third meeting, he started calling me late at night, around 3 or 4 am," said Rahul.

Each time he lost his job
He added that initially he would take the calls because he was a newcomer in need of a godfather in the industry. "He was associated with Mukta Arts at the time, and he showed me a Korean film which he said he would remake in Bollywood, casting me. But one night, he called me at 11 pm near his house. I had already been introduced to his sister Najma and his other married sister. He took me to his house, which had a single room, a bed and a lot of film posters. He told me, 'I am going to do something to you which you are going to enjoy. It will be different, but you will like it'. I got scared," Rahul recounted.

He added, "I told him, 'I know your family. I am not against your preferences, but I am your friend and every relationship is not about sex. He said, 'Don't worry, next time you will be ready'. I left, and lost the film at Mukta Arts."

Mushtaq came back to haunt Rahul when he turned to television work. "I was chosen for a TV serial called Amber Dhara. I was popular as the first blind hero on national television. Then I got a call from Mushtaq, telling me that he was the one who had chosen me for the role. That destroyed my confidence and self-belief. Then I was signed up for another show called Mata Ki Chowki [also associated with Mushtaq]. He extended his offer again, that I could sleep with him to keep my job, but I refused. My character was written out of the show soon," said Rahul.

'He grabbed my head'
He added, "During another show called Ganesh Leela, Mushtaq's roving eye caught me again. He told me to meet him at night for a drive. We were on a drive in Aarey Milk Colony when he suddenly grabbed my head [towards him] and started unbuttoning me [Rahul's clothes]. I got very angry and upset, and told him that I would stop the car and leave him in the middle of the jungle."

"I used to earn around Rs 3-4 lakh per month in those days. I owe answers to my friends and fans as to why I quit TV. It was because of Mushtaq Shiekh. I told my parents the same thing 10 years ago: I can't do this, because I will be forced to sleep with someone," said the Amber Dhara actor, adding, "I told my mother that I wanted to tell the world my story now. I had been reluctant earlier because my male friends told me, 'Tu mard hain, aise kaise bol sakta hai'. My mother told me that a real man tells the truth and faces the consequences."

Producer friend says
He said his friend and former roommate Asif Ali, now a film producer, had witnessed his trauma over the years. mid-day reached out to Asif, who said, "When we were roommates, I asked Rahul why he wasn't getting good projects. He told me about the harassment and demands for sexual favours. I read a few of their chats, but I don't remember their [culprit's] names."

Despite repeated attempts to contact Mushtaq, he did not respond to mid-day's queries.

Also Read: #MeToo: KWAN Founder Anirban Das Blah Tries To Commit Suicide

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