The report on the allegations of sexual assault against filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani has shocked the film industry. While some members of the industry including producer Boney Kapoor and actor Sharman Joshi have defended the director, others such as actors Dia Mirza and Arshad Warsi, who have worked with Hirani on films like Lage Raho Munna Bhai, have said that they are shocked by the news and would wait for a neutral investigation to take place.
Rajkumar Hirani is easily one of the most commercially and critically successful filmmakers in Bollywood today. The filmmaker has helmed five films till date and every one of them has been a blockbuster at the box-office. Hirani, who worked as a film editor with filmmaker Vidhu vinod Chopra, made his debut as a director in 2003 with Munna Bhai MBBS and later followed it up with Lage Raho Munna Bhai, 3 Idiots, PK and Sanju.
Here’s a quick look at the sequence of events that took place according to the story published in Huffington Post India:
The Timeline of Events In the Allegations Against Rajkumar Hirani
- 9 April 2018
Rajkumar Hirani allegedly first made a sexually suggestive remark and assaulted the woman in his home-office who worked with him on the crew of Sanju.
- April to September 2018
Rajkumar Hirani allegedly sexually abused the woman during this six month period
Much of the sexual assault reportedly took place during the post-production of Sanju
- 27 June 2018
The teaser of Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga releases with Rajkumar Hirani Films credited as co-producer
- 29 June 2018
Sanju releases
- 3 November 2018
The woman writes about the alleged assault in an email to Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Anupama Chopra, Abhijat Joshi and Shelly Chopra
- 22 November 2018
Raj Kumar Hirani writes an email to Vidhu Vinod Chopra denying the allegations of assault and stating that he was open to being investigated by an independent body to clear his name
- 5 December 2018
Anupama Chopra responds via email to Huff Post confirming that the woman has told her about the assault and that Vinod Chopra Films has after the woman's complaint set up an ICC to look into complaints of sexual harassment. But the ICC at VCF could not take up this particular case because the woman was an employee of Rajkumar Hirani Films.
- 7 and 15 December 2018
Huff Post meets with Rajkumar Hirani who refuses to answer any questions but shares printouts of text messages and emails exchanged with the complainant over 6 months, claiming they had a normal professional relationship
- 26 December 2018
The trailer of Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga releases without Rajkumar Hirani Films credited as co-producer
- 13 January 2019
Huff Post publishes its report on the sexual assault allegations made by the woman against Rajkumar Hirani
Rajkumar Hirani gives a statement saying that he's shocked at the allegations and that it’s a false, malicious and mischievous story being spread to destroy his reputation.
The multiple award winning filmmaker is the biggest name from the film industry in terms of power, popularity and net worth to have been named in a sexual assault allegation ever since the Me Too movement began in India late last year.
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