Vikas Bahl On #MeToo Allegations Levelled Against Him: 'These Are False, Malicious & Motivated'

Filmmaker Vikas Bahl found himself in the midst of a controversy when a former Phantom employee accused him of sexual harassment in 2015. With the ongoing #MeToo movement, he was issued with a show cause notice by Indian Film & Television Directors' Association (IFTDA).

Vikas Bahl has now responded to the show cause notice saying the sexual harassment allegations levelled against him are "false, malicious, motivated". Last year, a female employee at the now dissolved Phantom Films, which had Bahl as one of the partners alongside Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Madhu Mantena, had alleged that the filmmaker sexually harassed in Goa in 2015.

In his response to the notice, which was sent to him by IFTDA earlier this month, Bahl said no criminal complaint has been filed against him and he should be presumed to be innocent till proven guilty. "I deny all the alleged sexual harassment charges levelled against me and as stated in your said notice. These alleged charges are not only false, erroneous, malicious, motivated but have no factual basis," he said as per a PTI report.

"Further, you may also note that till date neither has any criminal complaint been filed against me in respect of the alleged sexual harassment charges nor have I been called upon by any investigation agency for investigation with respect to the same. The allegations levelled against me merely anonymous and hearsay. Thus, I am presumed to be innocent till proven guilty," Bahl said.

The director's former production partners Kashyap and Motwane had criticised him in separate statements following the HuffPost interview in which the victim reiterated her allegations.

Later, Vikas Bahl filed a defamation lawsuit against Motwane and Kashyap for making made "defamatory, slanderous and baseless allegations" against him due to which he has suffered irreversible damage to the reputation.

In his response to IFTDA, Vikas said his former partner have tried to malign his reputations to settle personal scores."My partners Mr Anurag Kashyap and Mr Vikramaditya Motwane have published defamatory tweets/articles/statements against me with an intent to settle personal scores, exact vendetta, and due to professional jealousy and with the sole intent to defame me, malign my image and destroy my career and hence I request your good office not to rely upon any statement so made by them."

The filmmaker requested IFTDA since the matter was sub judice no action should be taken against him. "Since the matter is sub judice I request your good office not to take any action against me and not to terminate my membership with IFTDA in the interim and without giving me a personal hearing."

(Inputs from PTI)