Triggering the #MeToo movement again, fresh accusations of sexual harassment have surfaced against filmmaker Sajid Khan.
A model who goes by the name Paula took to Instagram to share how Sajid had harassed her when she was 17 under the pretext of casting her in the movie Housefull. She was 17 when Sajid harassed her.
In a series of messages on Instagram, she said that she kept quiet during the Me Too movement almost two years ago because she had no godfather in the industry and had to earn for a family. "When #MeToo movement started, a lot of people spoke about Sajid Khan but I did not dare to because like every other actor who has no godfather and had to earn for a family I kept quiet. Now I don't have my parents with me. I'm earning for myself. I can dare to tell that I have been harassed by Sajid Khan at the age of 17. He spoke dirty to me. He tried to touch me. He even told me to strip in front of him just to get a role in his upcoming Housefull movie (sic).
She added: "God knows with how many girls he has done this. I am coming out now not for any pity party. It's just that I realised that had affected me so bad when I was a child and chose not to speak. But it's high time no (sic)?"
In 2018, multiple women had accused the filmmaker of sexual harassment and he had to step down as the director of Housefull 4 .
After Paula’s message, many have come out against Sajid Khan, with hashtags #MeToo and #ArrestSajidKhan trending.
Singer Sona Mohapatra asked how many people will speak up, and questioned if the role in the film was age appropriate for a 17-year-old. She also used the hashtag #SmashThePatriarchy, which has been trending since Rhea Chakraborty’s arrest in the drug case linked to Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.