An Eyewitness Account of What Happened Between Tanushree & Nana

A journalist was present that day on the sets.

Trigger Warning: The following article contains details about sexual assault and violence. The details may be traumatic for survivors. Reader discretion is advised.

Actor Tanushree Dutta has again named veteran actor Nana Patekar for allegedly sexually harassing her on the sets of the film Horn 'Ok' Pleassss in 2008.

Tanushree accused Nana Patekar of wanting to touch her inappropriately and having insisted on shooting an intimate song sequence in the film, even though it was not mentioned in her contract.

Now journalist Janice Sequeira has taken to social media to share an eyewitness account of the incident - she happened to be on the sets that day covering the shoot on behalf of Aaj Tak and Headlines Today. Her account resonates closely with that of Tanushree’s allegations on her interview with Zoom TV.

Some incidents that take place even a decade ago remain fresh in your memory. What happened with #TanushreeDutta on the sets of “Horn Ok Please” is one such incident - I was there. #NanaPatekar

[THREAD]

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

I was a cub reporter in 2008, assigned by AajTak and Headlines Today to cover the BTS of a song being shot for this film. When I arrived, I was told shooting had been stalled because the actress, #TanushreeDutta was "being difficult". #NanaPatekar

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

A while later, shooting resumed. Tanushree resumed work, and a couple shots later, #NanaPatekar joined her. Not long after that, Tanushree walked off set. Shooting halted again. She locked herself in her vanity van, refusing to come out.

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

Eventually, Tanushree’s parents arrived to pick her up. Her car was attacked, the windshield broken. I tried to get in touch with Tanushree to get her version of events. Around midnight, she asked me to come to her place. In tears, she narrated what really happened. #NanaPatekar

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

Later, she said, a lewd dance step was introduced on the insistence of #NanaPatekar, so he could touch her inappropriately. That’s where alarm bells rang, and Tanushree decided to walk off set. What she didn’t expect was the aggression shown by the producers after.

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

For anyone who’s either going to be ignoring or downplaying Dutta’s account as a desperate call for attention and question why she didn’t speak out earlier - she did. Interviews by Dutta were followed by a press conference by #NanaPatekar where she was branded “unprofessional”.

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

Things aren’t the same anymore (even though, they aren’t exactly different either). The #MeToo movement has encouraged women to come out and speak about sexual misconduct in the West. If it’s, in turn, inspiring women in India to speak out, we need to find a way to encourage it.

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

We all know there are hundreds and thousands of women who are too afraid to speak out against sexual assault and misconduct, lest they be called "unprofessional". They will only speak up if we appreciate - even laud - the courage of #TanushreeDutta, and not look the other way.

— Janice Sequeira (@janiceseq85) September 26, 2018

Editor-screenwriter Apurva Asrani too has voiced his support for Tanushree Dutta.

Sad. My people don’t think twice about raising their voice for the West’s #MeToo movement, but sit silent—promoting each other’s films, whilst #TanushreeDutta fights a lone battle against #NanaPatekar. Too many skeletons in too many closets. A #HouseOfCards waiting to collapse... https://t.co/SXg26IZg4A

— Apurva Asrani (@Apurvasrani) September 26, 2018

The Quint is trying to reach Nana Patekar for a comment on the harassment allegations made by Tanushree Dutta.