#MeToo movement in Bollywood is gaining momentum, which has led to many women from the industry speaking up against sexual harassment. The latest celebrity to face the harassment charge is director Sajid Khan, known for films such as Housefull, Heyy Babyy, as three women have brought allegations against him.
The women include assistant director Saloni Chopra, actor Rachel White, and a journalist.
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Model-actor Saloni levelled allegations against Khan and shared her story in a post. Apart from Khan, she also called out Vikas Bahl and Zain Durrani. According to her post, Sajid targeted her in 2011 when she was working as an assistant director. She said he faced multiple instances of sexual, mental and emotional abuse, and was even forced to send pictures in a bikini.
I finally decided to share my story with you. Writing this was like re-living all that horrible past I’d chosen to let go of, but I knew if I don’t today, I may never. So here’s #metoo #MetooIndia https://t.co/brouTYIBC7
— Saloni Chopra (@redheadchopra) October 11, 2018
“It took me years to get over the trauma he put me through. I was so scared around the people I worked with. And I’m sure he’s done this to so many other girls, I just want them to know they’re not alone. It’s been 7 years, and it’s about time I said it out loud,” Saloni wrote.
Actor Rachel also spoke about her trauma in a series of tweets after retweeting Saloni Chopra’s post. During the making of film Humshakals, Rachel explained, Khan asked her to come to his home once day, adding that he stared at her breasts and asked her to strip on the pretext that her role in the film required her to be in a bikini.
I believe you @redheadchopra I was sent by my agency then to meet Sajid Khan during Humshakals. Right after my agency told me about the meeting Sajid called me within the next 5 mins and said the meeting would be at his house opp iskon Juhu.
— Rachel White (@whitespeaking) October 11, 2018
I stood like an idiot in one corner of the bedroom wondering where to sit and he was on one side on the treadmill. I clearly rem this episode. When he saw me walk in he goes “pls come this side” all smiling . I walk up towards the treadmill . He was directly staring down at me
— Rachel White (@whitespeaking) October 11, 2018
I was in a white vest and blue denims and still felt I was standing nude with that gaze. What happens next is that he finishes his cardio and walks up to me asking me about my boobs and making that kind of conversation. I didn’t bother to answer to anything.
— Rachel White (@whitespeaking) October 11, 2018
After that he asks me to strip for him bcoz there were scenes in a bikini and he needed to see how I looked. I replied saying “there are pics of me in bikinis sent to u,I think that should good for u” n wen he insisted I said “I’m ready to parade ur office in a binkini nt at home
— Rachel White (@whitespeaking) October 11, 2018
“After that he asks me to strip for him bcoz there were scenes in a bikini and he needed to see how I looked. I replied saying ‘there are pics of me in bikinis sent to u,I think that should good for u’ n wen he insisted I said ‘I’m ready to parade ur office in a bikini nt at home,” Rachel wrote.
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A journalist, Karishma Upadhyay, also narrated her harassment story on Twitter. Speaking about it, she wrote: “The first time I interviewed Sajid Khan in the early 2000s, he called me to the house he shared with his sister. Thru the interview he talked about how large his penis is & how he knew how to satisfy a woman.”
Sajid Khan has preyed on women in the industry for years. Here’s my story. #MeToo pic.twitter.com/Rufzs9dsp6
— YellowGlassDragon (@karishmau) October 11, 2018
At the end of the first meeting, I forewarned him about behaving himself. I’ll never forget what he said to me, ‘You are fatter than you used to be. I won’t touch you with a barge pole.’ And then he laughed,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, Sajid Khan is yet to react to the allegations against him.