Actor Nana Patekar, who is playing a major character in director Sajid Khan’s Housefull 4, has stepped out of the film, says a report in the Times Of India.
As per the report, a source told the newspaper that Nana has done it in the wake of facing sexual harassment allegations by actress Tanushree Dutta. Apart from Nana, the film’s director Sajid has also been accused by multiple women of sexual harassment.
On Friday, taking into cognizance the serious nature of allegations, Housefull 4 lead actor Akshay Kumar, who just wrapped up the Jaisalmer schedule of the film, also took to Twitter to ask its producers to “cancel the shoot until further investigation”.
Sajid Khan also stepped down from the post of director. He tweeted, “In the wake of the allegations against me and the pressure being put on my family, my producer and the stars of my film Housefull 4, I must take the moral responsibility of stepping down from my directorial post. Till the time I can allay the allegations and prove the truth, I request my friend in the media to kindly not pass the judgment till the truth is out.”
The #MeTooIndia movement started when Tanushree Dutta alleged that Nana Patekar harassed her on the set of 2008 film Horn OK Pleassss. She also accused the film’s choreographer Ganesh Acharya and director Rakesh Sarang of mutely watching everything and not taking any action in the case.