"Took me to bedroom, rubbed my leg": Model on Khan
Model/actor Dimple Paul, also known as Paula, has opened up about what conspired ten years ago when disgraced filmmaker Sajid Khan had allegedly sexually harassed her. The model said the 48-year-old director had called her at his house and made objectionable gestures. Just a few days ago, Paula had accused Khan of sexual harassment and casting couch. Here's more on what she said.
Earlier this week, Paula put a lengthy statement on Instagram, claiming that Khan had sexually abused her and even asked her to strip on the pretext of offering her a role in his movie. The model was just 17 at that time. "He spoke dirty to me. He tried to touch me. He even told me to strip in front of him," she said.
In a fresh interview, Paula revealed that Khan had called her at his house after she won a beauty pageant. The filmmaker had said that if it wasn't for him, she would not have won the contest. "He came and sat next to me. He asked me if I have a boyfriend and whether I have had sex," she claimed.
"I was nervous and didn't really know what to say. He told me that it's an altogether different thing to have sex with a man...He kept his hand on my leg and started rubbing it (sic)," Paula added. Further, Khan took Paula to his room, pulled her top and asked her to take it off. The model then left his house, she said.
Paula also said that Khan had compared her with late actor Jiah Khan at that time. "He said something like you know Jiah Khan stood in the same place where I stand now." For the unversed, Jiah had starred in Khan's 2010 comedy movie Housefull. Later, in 2013, the actor died by suicide at the age of 25.
Paula has also reportedly said that she has not opened up about the incident for fame or money. She said she wanted to warn young women so that they do not have to go through such an ordeal.
Earlier in 2018, as the MeToo movement gained momentum in India, Khan was accused of sexual harassment, misconduct and casting couch by multiple women, including actors Rachel White and Saloni Chopra, and journalist Karishma Upadhyay. Subsequently, he had to step down as the director of Housefull 4. Khan was also suspended for a year by the Indian Film and Television Directors' Association.
