After actor Vijay Raaz was accused of molesting a crew member during the shooting of Sherni in Madhya Pradesh, the film’s director Amit Masurkar and producer Vikram Malhotra have set up an Internal Complaints Committee to probe the matter.
Raaz was arrested by Gondia’s Ramnagar Police on Tuesday morning after the crew member filed a complaint against him on Monday night. In her complaint, the crew member alleged that Raaz molested her at a hotel they were staying at. The actor was later granted bail later on Tuesday, following which he returned to Mumbai without completing his pending scenes in the shooting schedule.
“Vijay left for Mumbai on Tuesday after he was granted bail. He didn’t even return to the hotel where he had been put up. The production head informed the crew on Wednesday that Vijay won’t be resuming work. Though he had two scenes remaining, Vikram sir and Amit were certain that he should not be allowed on the set, in keeping with Abundantia Entertainment’s zero-tolerance policy for workplace harassment,” a source told Mid-day.
The actor has been booked under the Sections 354A and 354D of the Indian Penal Code.
“There are eye-witnesses from the crew who have spoken to us about the accusation being true,” Gondia Additional Superintendent of Police, Atul Kulkarni told The Indian Express on Wednesday.
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Raaz was shooting in Madhya Pradesh for upcoming Vidya Balan-starrer film Sherni. The team was shooting for the film in the jungles of Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh. Shooting had resumed only two weeks ago after being stalled since March due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
While Raaz has appeared in several films, his breakthrough role was in Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding (2001). Known for his performances in Raghu Romeo, Delhi Belly, Dream Girl and Gully Boy, he is best known for his comic role in Run and the kauwa biryani scene. He was last seen in Gulabo Sitabo, Lootcase and in BBC’s web series A Suitable Boy.