BOMBAY TIMES (October 11, 2018)

Days after writer-producer Vinta Nanda accused Alok Nath of rape, actress Sandhya Mridul has opened up about facing sexual harassment from him. Sandhya wrote a detailed account of how Alok, who played her onscreen father in her first telefilm, tried to forcibly enter her room in an inebriated state. She wrote, “One night after an early pack-up, when the cast went out for dinner, Alok got progressively drunk and started insisting that I sit with him and that I belonged to him, which made me very nervous and uncomfortable. My costar realised what was happening and got me out of there.”

“Once I was inside my hotel room, costume dada came to my room to give me my clothes for the next day, as I had a very early call time. A few minutes later, there was a knock on my door and I opened the door thinking it was him again, but it was an inebriated Alok Nath. I instinctively tried to shut the door, but he pushed it and lunged at me. I stepped aside and he went flying past me into the room.. I fell back toward the bathroom door and he lunged at me again screaming, ‘I want you, you’re mine.’ I dodged him again and he went into the bathroom and I think I latched the loo door and ran out of my room down the corridor into the lobby. Fortunately, my DoP was at the reception and he came back to my room and what ensued was traumatic, because a belligerent Alok Nath refused to leave. He kept screaming, shouting, threatening and abusing, trying to grab me, but at some point, we managed to make him leave.”

She added, “In a few hours, I had scenes with Bauji where I had to sit on his lap and cry. I still feel nauseous when I think of it. It didn’t stop there. Every evening, he would drink and every night, calls were made to my room. I had the hairdresser moved in to my room permanently.” “A few days later, I got very sick and was laid up and couldn’t shoot. He continued to traumatise me with calls. And knocks,” she wrote, adding, “One day, he landed up at my hotel door to apologise. He said he was an alcoholic and that he had destroyed everything and I was like his daughter and he respected me and that he was sorry.” “I finally broke my silence, screamed, shouted, cried and it was done. I believed him.”

She concluded, “I stand by you, Vinta. What I went through is nothing compared to you. I’m so sorry. More power to you. To us all. I’m certain there are others. I urge you to come forward. Your time is up, Sir.”