Mumbai: Aashiq Banaya Apne actress Tanushree Dutta, who kick-started the MeToo movement in India, has slammed playback singer Neha Kakkar for working with Anu Malik. The former actress also slammed Sony channel for reinstating Anu Malik as one of the judges on singing reality show, Indian Idol.
The actor has asked the channel if TRPs are more important than human values.
Questioning the channel, Tanushree told, “What shocks me most is how Sony, which is supposed to be a family-friendly channel, has allowed such a person to remain as a judge when several talented and high-profile women have come forward with their stories of harassment against him. Are TRPs more important than human values? Shouldn’t people who misbehave be held accountable for their deeds.”
Tanushree not just questioned Anu’s presence on the show but also another judge, singer Neha Kakkar’s silence over it. Mentioning how Neha was herself forcibly kissed by a fan, Tanushree said, “She might have got a taste of what it feels like to be harassed when a contestant forcibly kissed her on the show. But again, like her decision to work with Anu Malik, Neha decided not to press charges on the disgusting guy! It was cringeworthy to watch a female celebrity being mauled like that on TV.”
Tanushree has also supported singer Sona Mohapatra who has opposed the move. She recently posted a response after Anu Malik shared a long note on social media, threatening to take legal action against those accusing him of sexual harassment.
He had written, “It has been over a year that I have been accused of something that I haven’t done. I have been silent all this while as I was waiting for the truth to surface on its own. But I realise that my silence on the matter has been misconstrued as my weakness,” he wrote, adding that it had taken a toll on his and his family’s mental health and left him “traumatised, and tarnished my career”.
“Being a father of two daughters, I can’t imagine committing the acts that I am accused of, let alone do it.” he had added.
