Filmmaker Subhash Ghai, who has been accused by a woman of drugging and raping her, has denied the allegations and said that #MeToo had "become a fashion" to malign people.
'Firmly' denying the accusations, Ghai told ANI on Thursday:
Ghai also threatened his anonymous accuser of defamation. PTI quoted him as saying, "If she claims this way, she should go to the court of law and prove it. Justice will be done or I will go for defamation certainly."
The account of assault was shared by a Twitter user who said, "TW: drugging and raping. About Shubash Ghai. Told personally by the woman who faced the trauma. She's also a very credible media/lit personality."
The woman said that years ago, when she was working on a film with Ghai, the filmmaker told her that he would be her mentor and guide.
She said that she would often go to music recordings with him and would have to stay around until late at night. "He slowly started putting his hand on my thigh, giving me a hug saying I did good that day," the woman said.
The woman alleged that he would call her to his Lokhandwala apartment in Mumbai for script sessions, where, one day, he forcefully kissed her. "I was shocked n left that day," the woman said. Ghai allegedly called it "a lover's tiff". The woman continued to work for Ghai since she had no other job or financial security.
The woman said that one day after a music session, she got into the car with him, where he would always have a stash of whiskey. He offered her a drink and said he would drop her home, she said.
The woman alleges that he took her to Lonavala near Mumbai, instead of taking her home. "I was in and out of consciousness, but I remember clearly and I swear on my child that I asked him where are we going and take me home," the woman said.
Ghai then allegedly took her to the Fariyas Hotel, where she said they would always have a suite ready for him, and raped her.
When the woman did not go to work over the next few days, a person from Ghai's team called and threatened to not pay her if she quit at the time. While she did go back to work, the woman said she put in her resignation within a week.
Ghai is among several men from Bollywood who have been accused of sexual assault, including Vikas Bahl and Alok Nath.