The team of Vidya Balan-fronted Sherni, which has been filming in the jungles of Balaghat since October 21, was faced with an unprecedented situation earlier this week. On Monday night, a crew member filed a complaint with the Gondia police, alleging that actor Vijay Raaz molested her during the shoot. The actor, who was arrested from a five-star hotel on Tuesday morning, was granted bail the same evening.

A female crew member, on condition of anonymity, told mid-day that the incident happened in full view of the 30-member team that had reported to work on Monday. "She was sitting when Vijay yanked her arm to call for her attention. She lost her temper as this is no way to behave with a female colleague at a workplace. That said, we can vouch that Vijay did not molest her. The director [Amit Masurkar] and the producers immediately stepped in to understand the situation and encouraged her to file an official complaint with the studio, Abundantia Entertainment. On his part, Vijay understood that his action was uncalled for and promptly apologised to her, but she was inconsolable," recounted the unit hand. Understanding the delicate nature of the situation, the makers suspended the shoot for the day. The unit hand adds that the woman soon filed the police complaint.

Insiders reveal that since Balan's portions were completed by Monday, she had stayed put at the hotel. A friend of the complainant claimed this was the fourth time Raaz was rude to her on the set. "Harassment manifests in many forms, and this is also a kind of harassment. Why would a senior actor take the liberty to touch a woman on a set? I don't know if he meant to behave badly or not, but he eventually did," says the source.

We reached out to several team members, who declined to comment on the matter. It is heard that Raaz, who had two scenes pending, reported to the shoot on Wednesday. While Masurkar and producer Vikram Malhotra have yet to determine punitive measures against the actor, the unit has been instructed to complete the pending shoot by the weekend.

An officer from Gondia's Ramnagar police station told mid-day, "Whenever the matter is up for hearing, Vijay will have to be present."

We sent detailed texts to Masurkar, Malhotra and Raaz, who did not respond till press time.

Amit Masurkar; Vikram Malhotra