Swastika Mukherjee files complaint against film producer, alleges sexual harassment

Swastika Mukherjee has come out in the public eye, this time levying claims of sexual harassment and intimidation by a producer for her upcoming Bengali film, Shibpur. The man in question, Sandeep Sarkar, has allegedly sent emails of a threatening nature to the actress, asking for unclarified 'cooperation'. Swastika also claims that the party in question has threatened her with 'morphed' pictures which they may leak.

Swastika's ordeal

Swastika had attempted to keep the brewing controversy under wraps, for the sake of her film Shibpur. However, she soon decided to seek help from the authorities. She first lodged a complaint at the Golf Green Police Station in Kolkata, also requesting help from the Eastern India Motion Pictures Association (EIMPA). Swastika shared with the press how the shooting experience for the film was seamless, both from her side as well as the administration. She claims to never have met Sarkar during the course of filming, stating that the man reached out to her over an email, asking her to "cooperate" in a threatening tone. Swastika also alleges that the threatening emails contained attachments with uncomplimentary morphed pictures of herself. 

Further threats extended

The threats were allegedly extended to Swastika's manager as well by another party involved. The man who goes by the name of Ravish Sharma claimed to be a friend of Sarkar's. Sharma too reportedly continued with the threats in a similar fashion. Swastika stated how Sarkar kept boasting of his connections at the US Consulate, claiming that she would never be allowed a US visa if she did not cooperate.

Swastika Mukherjee was last seen in Qala from 2022, where she played the role of Urmila Manjushree. The same year she also starred in Bengali film Srimati. She is currently awaiting the release of her next Bengali film, Shibpur, a political thriller which will hit theatres on 5 May.