Payal Rohatgi talks about how she was harassed by filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee in 2011 and the way it affected her career
Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; October 23, 2018)

In 2011, actress Payal Rohatgi had alleged that filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee had sexually harassed her. At that point, she had held a press conference to talk to the media about her ordeal. Seven years after the incident, the actress recounts her experience and says that she stands by her allegations even today. Payal also stressed on the fact that, because she came out in the open and spoke about being sexually harassed, her movie career suffered immensely.

Payal says, “I faced a lot of backlash when I spoke about being sexually harassed by Dibakar Banerjee. Not directly, but indirectly, I was boycotted by the entire fraternity that supported the director, because it is a male-dominated set-up. It’s only recently that female filmmakers are having a say. Today, many women are speaking up about their ordeal, and the reason I am bringing up the 2011 incident again, is because I don’t want people to think that what I said back then was a made-up story. The allegations I made in 2011 were true and I stand by them even today. To give courage to others who are speaking about it, I am willing to share my story again.”

There is no need to retreat from the war front because people are against you. I spoke about my experience when it had happened with me, as I didn’t think about the repercussions. I wasn’t scared when I held a press conference to talk about my ordeal, because I felt hurt and humiliated. I was already an actress working in the industry and had done a couple of small budget films. I had done films like 36 China Town and Dil Kabaddi opposite actors like Paresh Rawal and Irrfan, respectively. I was doing well for myself and wanted to play different roles and not just be happy portraying glamourous characters. As an actor, I would directly connect with the director or producer to express my desire to work for that banner and director. Dibakar Banerjee comes across as an intellectual filmmaker. That is a deception. He told me that he had a role for me in Shanghai, for which I would be perfect. However, he also said that I should give an audition just for the heck of it. I was keen on giving an audition for the part and I did. I was staying alone at that time. Considering the fact that he had given me a chance to audition and had verbally committed that he’d give me the role, he thought that he could get away it. I felt that something was not right. Also, he had come over to my house. In such a scenario, it gets difficult to get rid of that person, because you are trying to understand what’s happening. I was called mad by an entire group of filmmakers, because they all had to stand by their brother. That was the modus operandi, because they were married men, who were trying to have affairs. Dibakar molested and harassed me when he visited my home on the day that I had auditioned for his film. He thought that he could get away with whatever he did at that moment. He felt that I would agree to it, because of the audition that had happened that day. I never looked at him with that perspective. He was just a friend and a director. I met all these directors looking to work in their films and not to become their girlfriend or to have an affair with them.

I wanted to take the legal route after I addressed my ordeal in the press conference, but I was intimidated by everybody and my family and friends told me that what I was setting out to do was wrong. I was told that I should not have called for a press conference and that they will finish my career. My voice was nipped in the bud so that others wouldn’t speak up. I was from a middle-class family and didn’t have the funds to go ahead and fight a legal battle. I was intimidated and then I backed out. In fact, I had never imagined that seven years after my ordeal, the #MeToo movement will start and that I will be talking about it all over again. This is nothing but karma. Dibakar has directed six films, even though I didn’t get any films after I went public with my allegations. I have my conscience to answer and he has his.”

BT reached out to director Dibakar Banerjee for his response, but he didn’t revert till the time we went to press. The director is currently working on the film, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar.