"Asked me to strip at 17": Model accuses Sajid Khan
Paula, an Indian model and actor, has accused disgraced filmmaker Sajid Khan of sexual harassment and casting couch. In a social media post, she has revealed that the 48-year-old director had sexually abused her and asked her to strip on the pretext of offering her a role in the movie Housefull. Paula was 17 at that time. Here are more details on this.
Paula posted a note to Instagram on Wednesday about her ordeal. She said she did not speak about it earlier as she feared for her career and had to earn for her family. "Now, I don't have my parents with me. I am earning for myself, I can dare to tell that I have been harassed by Sajid Khan (sic)," she added.
"He (Khan) spoke dirty to me. He tried to touch me. He even told me to strip in front of him just to get a role in his upcoming Housefull movie," Paula added.
Paula said that she decided to open up not to gain sympathy, but because the incident has deeply affected her and it was "high time" to speak. "God knows with how many girls he has done this," she wrote. "These bastards should be behind bars not only for casting couch but also for manipulating and for stealing away your dreams," she concluded the post.
During the 2018 MeToo movement, Khan was accused of sexual harassment and misconduct by at least three women, including actors Saloni Chopra and Rachel White, and journalist Karishma Upadhyay. Thereafter, he had to step down as the director of his impending movie Housefull 4. He was later suspended for one year by the Indian Film and Television Directors' Association.
