Producer of 90's TV Series 'Tara' Accuses 'Sanskaari' Lead Actor Of The Show Of Sexual Assault

Inspired from the west, the #MeToo campaign in India has sure gained heat with several women gathering the courage to point out sexual perpetrators. The latest to open up is the producer of the popular 90s show, Vinta Nanda. In an elaborate Facebook post, she narrated the details of the horrific incident that happened with her back in the 90s. She also accounted for the details, when the lead actress of the show was misbehaved with. 

Talking about the perpetrator she wrote, "His wife was my best friend. We were in and out of each other's homes, we belonged to the same group of friends, most of us from theatre." She further said, "He was an alcoholic, shameless and obnoxious but he was also the television star of that decade, so not only was he forgiven for all his bad behaviour but many of the guys would egg him on to be his worst." Back then, Nanda was the producer and writer of the "No 1 show on TV called Tara'. She stated that "he was after my lead girl. She was not interested in him."

After the lead actress complained they planned to let him go, after one final shot. She stated that on the day of the last shot, he came in drunk and misbehaved with the lead actress. He was removed from the show. 

However, he returned to the show using his contacts. 

Later on, all the shows by Nanda, were made to shut down by the newly appointed CEO." I was insulted and humiliated by the CEO, asked to get out of his office and told that women like me should be thrown out of the country," she stated. 

Sometime later, she went to a party hosted by the man on invitation. "As the evening flowed, my drinks were mixed and I began to feel strange. 
Then at around 2am, I left his house. Midway I was accosted by this man who was driving his own car and he asked me to sit in it and said he would drop me home. I trusted him and sat in his car. I have faint memory after that. I can remember more liquor being poured into my mouth and I remember being violated endlessly. When I woke up the next afternoon, I was in pain. I hadn’t just been raped, I was taken to my own house and had been brutalised," she further stated.

In order to save her drowning career and life, she went to the man for the job. She wrote, "I continued to write, but the couple of times that I pushed myself and found the courage to pitch for shows, I would break down during meetings. Finally I gave up. Almost 20 years later, I’m totally fine now, healed and reunited with my own self again."

She did not reveal the name of the person, but wrote, "Irony is that the man, the predator in question here is the actor par excellence who is known as the most #Sanskaari (Cultured) person in the film and television industry."

'Tara' is an Indian soap opera that aired on Zee TV channel, based on the trials and tribulations, the joys and sorrows of the main character, Tara. The series was known as the first ever Indian soap on contemporary urban women, and was the first Hindi language drama series that ran for about 5 years.  Alok Nath and Navneet Nishan were the lead actors of the show.