Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah: Producer, 2 crew members booked for sexually harassing actor

In the FIR, the actor said that she made a complaint against the three accused with the National Women’s Commission on April 8 and made a written complaint to the Powai police on May 24. In her complaint, she also said that the set of the show was not safe for women

Mumbai: A case has been registered against the producer Asit Kumarr Modi, operations head Sohail Ramani and executive producer Jatin Bajaj of the popular television show Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah for allegedly sexually harassing one of the female actors during the shooting.

When contacted, the PR team of the producers said, “We deny all allegations and have given a statement to the police. In any case, the matter is under investigation, hence, no further comments.” (Getty Images)

In her complaint, the actor claimed that ever since she started shooting for the show in 2008, Modi had been asking her to come and drink with him. He also allegedly made several other comments and gestures which she ignored at the time. Ramani and Bajaj, she alleged, used inappropriate language with her multiple times and would also make her work longer hours even when she asked for personal time off.

In the FIR, the actor said that she made a complaint against the three accused with the National Women’s Commission on April 8 and made a written complaint to the Powai police on May 24. In her complaint, she also said that the set of the show was not safe for women.

The complainant said that her refusal to comply with Modi’s offer to drink together would lead to him finding fault with her work. “He would also pinch my cheeks, say inappropriate things about my appearance and say he would have hugged me if we were together while talking over the phone,” she said in her statement to the police.

The actor went on to say that she had confided in some of her co-stars about Modi’s advances which made her feel uncomfortable. The male actor, who played her husband, then started protecting her from unpleasant scenarios after that, she said in the complaint. Another female actor, who was told about the situation, also jokingly asked Modi why he always only made drinking plans with the complainant, according to her statement to the police. She added that this put a stop to Modi taking liberties with her.

Ramani, she said, used abusive language with her over the phone when she asked for some time off. “On asking him how he could speak that way with a woman, he threatened me with consequences. After that, he would make it difficult for me to take time off and would often stop my fees from being paid in time,” she claimed in her statement to the police.

On March 6 this year, she claimed that things took an ugly turn and she decided to rush off from the sets while Ramani and Bajaj spoke rudely to her and threatened to replace her.

The trio has been booked under sections 354A (sexual harassment), 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

When contacted, the PR team of the producers said, “We deny all allegations and have given a statement to the police. In any case, the matter is under investigation, hence, no further comments.”