Mumbai, March 18
Amidst rumours that India TV has trapped several top Bollywood personalities demanding sexual favours from young women aspiring for stardom, prominent film makers and actors turned up in strength against the television channel here today.
Among those who turned up at a press conference at the Mehboob Studios today included actors Salman Khan, his brother Arbaaz, actor-turned-Member of Parliament Govinda, producers David Dhawan, Sunil Darshan and others.
All personalities present threw their weight behind screen villian Shakti Kapoor and television host Aman Verma who have so far been shown asking for sexual favours from an undercover reporter of the television channel.
They attacked the television channel for its "character assassination" and "intruding into the privacy of an individuals".
Vociferously attacking the television channel, Govinda accused its owner Rajat Sharma of conspiring to "malign the image of the film fraternity". "People should not fall for its dirty tricks," Govinda said.
The actor hit out at Shakti Kapoor who was taped naming several senior Bollywood actresses as sleeping their way to stardom. "Shakti was drunk but the channel was not. They could have muted the names of the 'daughters of the industry'," Govinda said. "The channel deliberately maligned their reputations," the actor alleged.
Some of the personalities openly vouched for television host Aman Verma's integrity. "His privacy was unnecessarily transgressed upon," director Ravi Chopra said.
Verma himself told journalists that he did not misbehave with the undercover reporter. He insisted that he only tried to help the girl on how to go about looking for work "in a respectful manner". "I never ever touched the girl," Verma said.
Other producers like Vashu Bhagnani demanded the arrest of Rajat Sharma and Shoaib Illyasi, who produced the series for India TV.
Film maker Raj Kanwar felt that such exploitation happens in every industry and the film industry should not be targeted. "I would want to know one place where exploitation does not occur. All I know that it happens everywhere," he said.
The film fraternity decided to call the press conference after Verma decided to meet the press at his residence. Subsequently top film personalities like Salman Khan, David Dhawan and others called him up to form a joint front to tackle the producers of the sting operation.
The reporter from India TV posed as an aspiring starlet chasing top film personalities for weeks asking for intimate meetings in hotel rooms and other places.
The footage shot in December last year with the help of a secret camera shows Verma making sexually suggestive remarks at the reporter. In the final shot, when he is confronted by Illyasi and his investigative team, Verma is shown falling at the producer's feet asking for mercy. Verma however denied falling at Ilyasi's feet. "It was someone else posing as me," Verma said. The channel has refused to withdraw the story and promises to unmask several prominent personalities including a Bollywood superstar.
Meanwhile, Rakesh Nath, known as Rikku, has sought legal advise on the matter. Nath, who is secretary to Madhuri Dixit, said he had been approached by an aspiring starlet in December last asking for roles.
