Akshay Kumar Cancels Shoot Of ‘Housefull 4’ In Light Of #MeToo Allegations Against Sajid Khan

When the current wave of the #MeToo movement hit India, honestly speaking, some of us didn’t have much hope that it would have any serious impact on Bollywood. Though it did start off with Tanushree Dutta’s allegations against Nana Patekar resurfacing after 10 years, and though many men in the journalism and comedy industry went down, it was doubtful that Bollywood, which is notorious for hiding its shady side would actually take part in the movement.

However, our pessimism was apparently misplaced as for once, the big names in the industry are taking a stand against the sexual misconducts in Bollywood.

Actor Akshay Kumar and wife Twinkle Khanna have reacted to the multiple vile sexual harassment allegations against director Sajid Khan.

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Love is nothing but a play of Dopamine, it’s the staying in like that requires great skill #weddingrevelries

A post shared by Twinkle Khanna (@twinklerkhanna) on May 8, 2018 at 9:36pm PDT

Akshay, who was set to star in Housefull 4, directed by Sajid Khan, has put out a strong statement that he will not be working with offenders:

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— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) October 12, 2018

He claims that he has asked the producers to put the shooting of the film on hold until further investigations are conducted. He stresses that this is something that requires stringent action.

He ends his statement with the following declaration:

“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.”

Twinkle Khanna also spoke her mind in this matter via a tweet:

Appalled hearing multiple incidents of harassment and it is truly horrific to hear what these women have been through. Everyone involved in Housefull needs to take a firm stance on this issue. This cannot go on.

— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) October 12, 2018

She urges that everyone involved with Housefull 4 take a firm stance on the matter and says that this sort of behaviour cannot go on.

Following the matter blowing up to such a scale, Sajid Khan has now stepped down from the directorial position of the movie.

Though it is encouraging to see those in the upper tier of the industry finally take a stance against sexual harassment in Bollywood, it is imperative to make sure that the matter doesn’t die down like a flop film. However, it does come as a positive sign for the future of the entertainment industry in India that women speaking out against their sexual predators can have such an impact as to force those responsible to hold even big shots like Sajid Khan liable for their actions.

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