#MeToo accused Anu Malik set to return on small screen?
What's the story
Music composer Anu Malik, who had to step down as Indian Idol judge after he was named in the #MeToo movement by two noted singers, is all set to return on TV. Reports suggest that he will appear on Sony TV's Superstar Singer, but not as a judge. He will be coming as a celebrity guest for a special episode on the show.
Quote
Malik will be accompanied by Sameer for this special episode
"He (Anu Malik) will make an appearance along with lyricist Sameer on Superstar Singer in an episode dedicated to the songs composed by him and written by Sameer," a source reportedly told Times Of India.
Backstory
Context: Shweta, Sona Mohapatra had accused Malik of sexual harassment
This will be Malik's first onscreen appearance after he was accused of sexual misconduct by singers Shweta Pandit and Sona Mohapatra, following which he was asked to leave Indian Idol. After their revelations, two other women spoke against Malik's predatory behavior. The music director had however rubbished all the allegations. His lawyer also released a statement and claimed Shweta's story was false.
Allegations
Anu asked me to kiss him, Shweta wrote on Twitter
Sharing her ordeal, Shweta wrote a detailed post on Twitter and called Malik a paedophile. Recalling the horrifying encounter, she said that Malik's manager had called her in 2001 in Empire Studio, where she was asked to sing a tune. "I sang it well so he said, "I'll give you this song with Sunidhi and Shaan, but first give me a kiss," she wrote.
Twitter Post
You can read Shweta's gut-wrenching post here
Had to go back to my worst memory as a teenage girl today to write this and speak up - its now or never. This is my #MeToo and have to warn young girls about #AnuMalik let you know your #TimesUp @IndiaMeToo
— Shweta Pandit Fucci (@ShwetaPandit7) October 17, 2018
Thank you @sonamohapatra for speaking up about him supporting this pic.twitter.com/e261pGQyEq
Claims
Sona meanwhile had called Malik a "serial predator"
Meanwhile, Sona called Malik, just like Kailash Kher, is one of the "serial predators" of the industry. Recalling her incident with him, the 42-year-old stated that the music director had passed lewd comments about her in front of her husband (Delhi Belly music composer Ram Sampath). "He didn't know we were married, he made a lewd comment - Kya Maal hai Sampath," alleged Sona.
Sacked
Following multiple allegations, Malik was sacked from 'Indian Idol 10'
In the wake of multiple sexual harassment allegations, Malik, who was judging Indian Idol 10 then, was asked to leave the show. To note, Malik had been associated with the reality show since its inception in 2004. Confirming his exit, Malik had said he was taking a break as he was unable to focus on his work. He was later replaced by Javed Ali.
Reports
Malik to judge 'Indian Idol 11' along with Neha Kakkar?
There are however reports that Malik would be judging the upcoming season of the singing based reality show Indian Idol along with Neha Kakkar and Vishal Dadlani. According to a Pinkvilla report, he was approached for the show as there was no legal action against him. However, when Malik was quizzed about his return on Indian Idol, he told IANS, "No comment."