Bollywood filmmaker Sajid Khan has been invited to participate in Bigg Boss 16 hosted by Salman Khan. This development has disappointed a lot of viewers due to the allegations against the director. Several women, including struggling artists, have accused the director of sexual misconduct. Since then, many activists, journalists, and social media users have criticised him on multiple occasions.
The 16th season of the popular reality TV show returned on October 1, with Salman Khan announcing the participants. One was Sajid Khan, who had disappeared from the public eye in the last few years. His entry into one of India’s most watched TV shows has again brought him under fire. Many called out the channel for trying to repair his tarnished image by inviting him into the Bigg Boss house.
What Kind of Allegations is Sajid Khan Facing?
Critics pointed out the times Sajid Khan faced sexual assault allegations. In 2018, Saloni Chopra was the first woman to come out as Sajid’s victim. In her post, she alleged that she had “the most awful experience of her life” when assisting Sajid in 2011. She said the director asked her questions like, “do you masturbate?” in an interview. Moreover, he had also allegedly asked for her bikini photos.
After Saloni, actress Rachel White shared her experience, recalling the events after meeting the director for the first time. She alleged that Sajid invited her to his house for a meeting regarding Hamshakals (2014) and asked her to strip naked and seduce him in order to get the part.
Again in 2018, journalist Karishma Upadhyay shared that Sajid talked inappropriately during the interview, claiming how large his private part is. Then he flashed that part, prompting Karishma to leave, but Sajid tried to kiss her forcefully.
Simran Suri was the 4th woman to accuse Sajid of sexual harassment. She alleged that the director called her to his house and asked her to strip while auditioning for his film, Himmatwala (2013).
Iranian actress Mandana Karimi called the director a “creep” after he asked her to remove her clothes if she wanted to get the role in his film Hamshakals (2014).
Two years later, in 2020, actress Aahana Kumra alleged that Sajid did not touch her but asked if she would have “sex with a dog” for 100 Crore INR.
In the same year, model Dimple Paul aka Paula, shared on Instagram that Sajid harassed her at the age of 17. She wrote that he spoke dirty to her, tried to touch her, and asked her to strip in front of him to get the role in his film Housefull (2010).
In 2021, model and actress Sherlyn Chopra shared harrowing events of a 2005 meeting with Sajid. She met him a few days after her father’s death, and the director allegedly pulled out his junk from his pants and asked her to feel it. She further alleged that the director asked her if she had ever seen a part as large as his.
Sajid is also accused of harassing Jiah Khan, who allegedly died by suicide in 2013. In the documentary ‘Death in Bollywood’, released in 2021, Jiah’s sister Karishma detailed the incident. She said the director asked Jiah to remove her top during the script reading session. The harassment made Jiah run home and cry while being worried about her film contract. Karishma also alleged that the director made unwanted advances toward her as well when she was 16, but Jiah saved her.
Bizzare Promotion Strategy
These 9 women are only considered the tip of the iceberg, while reportedly, there are many others. Viewers have been sickened to see how the channel could provide a big platform for such a person. On the other hand, some opined that it might be intentional for the producers to cast Said Khan in Bigg Boss 16. Probably they wanted a controversial personality to increase the viewership of their show while disregarding his victims, who have suffered a lack of work because of power vested in well-connected sexual predators like Sajid.
Director Fails to Address Sexual Harassment Accusations
Sajid Khan also spoke about why he was out of the picture for the last 4 years but did not address the accusations. He just said that he sat at home all the time without getting much work. Sajid further added that his success destroyed him as he became arrogant after 3 consecutive hit films, Heyy Babyy (2007), Housefull (2010), and Housefull 2 (2012). Then he talked about his later 2 films, Himmatwala (2013) and Hamshakals (2014), which flopped miserably and pushed him into hiding his face.
However, Sajid is again working as a director in the upcoming film 100 Percent, scheduled to be released in 2023. According to reports, John Abraham, Ritesh Deshmukh, Nora Fatehi, and Shenaaz Gill are the prominent cast members of Sajid’s movie.
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