Rajkumar Hirani On Sexual Assault Allegations: It’s A “False, Malicious & Mischievous Story”

Filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani has been accused of sexual assault by a woman who worked with him in his 2018 film Sanju. He has denied the allegation.

According to a HuffPost India article on Sunday, the woman claimed that Hirani sexually abused her on more than one occasion over a six-month period between March and September 2018.

The 56-year-old filmmaker has denied the allegations. A statement issued by his lawyer Anand Desai dubbed the allegations “false”, “mischievous”, “scandalous”, “motivated” and “defamatory”.

In a statement issued soon after the article went viral, Hirani said: “I was completely shocked when these allegations were brought to my notice about two months back.

“I had suggested immediately that it is essential to take this matter to any committee or any legal body. The complainant has chosen to go to the media instead. I want to very strongly state that this is a false, malicious and mischievous story being spread with the sole intention of destroying my reputation.”

The woman made the charge in an email dated November 3, 2018 to Hirani’s Sanju co-producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra. She also marked the mail to Vidhu’s wife and film journalist Anupama Chopra as well as to Hirani’s co-writer Abhijat Joshi, said the HuffPost India article.