Chandraye Sarkar, one of the many women who accused Soumik Sen of sexual harassment, writes to Cheat India producer Atul Kasbekar to take action against the director
Emraan Hashmi
After an actor of Cheat India anonymously named and shamed director Soumik Sen last week for his sexually exploitative behaviour, Ellipsis Entertainment - the production house backing the Emraan Hashmi starrer - issued a statement asserting that they had not received "any complaint of inappropriate behaviour by director Soumik Sen from any female member in our unit of Cheat India".
ADVERTISEMENT
Now, media professional Chandraye Sarkar - one of the four women to have outed Sen - tells mid-day that she has appealed in writing to Cheat India producer Atul Kasbekar to take stringent action against him.
Atul Kasbekar and Soumik Sen. Pic/Instagram
Sarkar says, "I don't understand why the producers are not taking the allegations seriously. Their statement is blasphemous and protects Soumik." In her account, Sarkar claimed that Sen sent her erotic passages in 2012, a post which she complained to Gulaab Gang co-producer Anubhav Sinha. Her story was corroborated by Sinha last week. "I was angry that Anubhav didn't act in time, but at least he said sorry now. Anubhav sent me a message saying he will never work with Soumik again. I respect him for the stand. Emraan Hashmi said he wants to clean the industry, then why is he hiding now? They are establishing that they are either accomplice to the matter or partaking in it."
She adds, "I have sent a mail to Ashoke Pandit and Balwinder Sandhu of IFTDA. I have written a mail to Atul Kasbekar and Tanuj Garg because they claim no complaint has come to them."
It has also been heard that after actor Priyanka Bose's revelations against Sen, the makers are considering corrective measures. An associate reveals, "We will have to let Soumik go from the promotional leg of the film. Emraan was clear that he wouldn't tolerate any instance of harassment against women on his film. He wouldn't want to keep his ties with the perpetrator in this case."
Hashmi, who is shooting in Ladakh, is yet to be updated on the matter. mid-day reached out to Kasbekar, who claimed he was travelling and couldn't respond.
Also Read: #MeToo: Actor Arjun Sarja Slaps Rs 5 Crore Defamation Suit Against Sruthi Hariharan
Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates