Actor
Riteish
Deshmukh
has
come
out
in
support
of
women
who
have
been
sharing
their
experiences
of
sexual
harassment
as
part
of
India's
#MeToo
movement.
Riteish's
statement
comes
after
his
"Housefull
4" director
Sajid
Khan
was
accused
of
sexual
harassment
by
three
female
actors
and
a
journalist.
Sajid
has
since
stepped
down
as
the
director
of
Housefull
4,
which
also
stars
Akshay
Kumar
and
Bobby
Deol.
"Deeply
disturbing
to
hear
and
read
the
news
of
so
many
women
who
had
to
go
through
these
incidents
of
harassment
in
various
fields.
I
think
it's
extremely
brave
of
every
woman
to
have
shared
their
stories...
All
need
to
be
heard
and
not
judged.
I
stand
with
them
today.
#MeToo," Riteish
tweeted.
The
film's
lead
star
Akshay
announced
Friday
that
the
shooting
has
been
put
on
hold
for
now.
"I've
just
landed
back
in
the
country
last
night
and
reading
all
the
news
has
been
very
disturbing.
I've
requested
the
producers
of
Housefull
4
to
cancel
the
shoot
until
further
investigation,"
he
wrote
on
Twitter.
"This
is
something
that
requires
stringent
action.
I
will
not
work
with
any
proven
offenders
and
all
those
who
have
been
subjugated
to
harassment
should
be
heard
and
given
the
justice
they
deserve,"
the
51-year-old
actor
added.
Riteish
said
he
second
Akshay's
stand
on
Housefull
4.
The
film
also
featured
Nana
Patekar,
who
was
the
first
celebrity
to
be
accused
of
harassment
by
actor
Tanushree
Dutta
a
fortnight
ago.
He
has
denied
the
allegation
and
the
matter
is
sub
judice.
The
makers
of
Housefull
4
have
decided
to
drop
him
as
well.
"Nana
Patekar
is
dropped
from
the
film
due
to
allegations
of
sexual
harassment
against
him.
The
decision
was
taken
today,"
source
close
to
the
production
house,
Nadiadwala
Grandson
Entertainment,
told
PTI.
Dutta's
revelations
have
sparked
what
media
is
terming
as
India's
#MeToo
movement,
where
journalists,
actors
and
professionals
have
taken
to
social
media
to
talk
about
workplace
harassment.