Anurag Kashyap puts out press statement on sexual allegations

A day after Anurag Kashyap tweeted about his innocence in the sexual misconduct claims by actress Payal Ghosh, his lawyer has put out an official statement saying they are taking up the matter in court.

“My client, Anurag Kashyap, has been deeply pained by the false allegations of sexual misconduct that have recently surfaced against him. These allegations are completely false, malicious and dishonest. It is sad that a social movement as important as the #metoo movement has been co-opted by vested interests and reduced to a mere tool for character assassination,” said his lawyer Priyanka Khimani.

Kashyap shared his lawyer’s statement on his social media account.

The ‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’ director claimed that these allegations made by Ghosh are politically motivated and he is being penalised for having a contrarian view on the Indian establishment.

“Fictitious allegations of this nature seriously undermine the movement and seek to unconscionably trade upon the pain and trauma of actual victims of sexual harassment and abuse. My client has been advised about his rights and remedies in law and intends to pursue them to the fullest extent,” the statement said.

On September 19, actress Ghosh — who has acted in a clutch of South Indian and minor Bollywood comedies — claimed that the director had forced himself on her when she sought work from him.

Kashyap and his loyal friends and colleagues such as Taapsee Pannu, Swara Bhasker, Hansal Mehta and Gulshan Deviah have come forward dismissing Ghosh’s claims and vouching for the award-winning director’s strong work ethics and moral fibre.

All his colleagues say he is one of the fiercest feminists that they know. His ex-wife from his first marriage has extended her support to Kashyap claiming that Ghosh is indulging in cheap publicity.

Kashyap second ex-wife Kalki Koechlin also lent her support to the director with an emotional social media post. “Trolls toh troll karenge [trolls will troll],” Kalki tweeted in Hindi along with statement. In her post she said, “Dear Anurag, don’t let this social media circus get to you, you have fought for the freedom of women in your scripts, you’ve defended their integrity in your professional space as well as in your personal life.”