Vikas Bahl Accuses Kashyap of Defamation; Issued Notice by IFTDA

Vikas Bahl has been accused of sexual assault by a former employee of Phantom Films

(From left) Vikas Bahl, Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap at the screening of a film. 

(Photo: Yogen Shah)

Filmmaker Vikas Bahl has been issued a show cause notice by the Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA). He has been accused of sexual assault by a former employee of Phantom Films.

“The charges against you were confirmed by your own partners, which led to the dissolution of Phantom Films,” the notice reads. It goes on to state that Bahl has a week to prove why his membership to the association should not be terminated. In the event of his failure to do so, action would be taken “as per rules and regulations”.

Bahl has also come out to call his former partners Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane as opportunists for using the allegations to defame him.

Vikas Bahl has sent legal notices to his partners accusing them of, firstly, running a campaign to defame him and of using it as a pretext to shut down Phantom Films and making him look responsible for the company’s end.

The director of Queen has also alleged in the notice that Kashyap has bribed another employee of Phantom Films to make similar allegations against Bahl and therefore questioning the original charge of sexual assault against him.

“You are neither a witness nor the alleged victim, but instead an opportunist seeking to derive benefit based on unsubstantiated information. The alleged incident has not been established in any court of law and that you have exploited the media to propagate your own personal vendetta.”

Vikas Bahl’s notice to Anurag Kashyap and Vikram Motwane

The notice by Bahl also threatens to file civil and/or criminal defamation against Kashyap and Motwane unless the two give out an unconditional apology and withdraw their statements against him. Bahl even went on to call them #MeToo opportunists.