Vikas Bahl accused of sexual harassment, 'Queen' director denies allegation

New Delhi: 'Queen' fame director Vikas Bahl has hit the headlines but for all wrong reasons. According to Mumbai Mirror, the filmmaker has been accused of sexual harassment by a female employee of Phantom films.

The report mentions that the woman, who works at the Phantom Films had alleged that she was molested by Vikas Bahl during a trip to Goa a few months ago. The production company has been founded by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Madhu Mantena and Vikas Bahl, and it was earlier reported that due to this complaint, the latter has been asked to step down from his position at the company.

The Mumbai Mirror report quotes one of the stakeholders who spoke on the condition of anonymity with the publication and revealed: “We (Reliance Entertainment and Phantom Films) have taken a hard stand, based on what we have heard and investigated.” According to him and several others close to the development, Vikas Bahl, who had already stopped attending office, was formally told on March 28 to step down from his position.

“The decision needed to be taken because it was getting too much,” said the stakeholder. “There are not one, two or three but multiple victims. I was in the middle of a film shoot when I came to know about the first incident and I had to stop my shoot and come to Mumbai… there is (after all) a young girl on whom an intoxicated Vikas forced himself while they were in Goa. He has behaved badly in the past as well but when this specific complaint came, we needed to act on it.”

However, Vikas has outrightly denied any such claims. He is currently in the capital with his ailing mother and has been quoted as saying, ““Nothing has happened. I am running the company. There is no complaint to HR and there is no Vishakha committee. I have heard about this particular lady you are speaking about and the Goa incident. She is not my employee. Yes, I am friends with her, we have worked together and there is a production job we have done together…but if she is feeling like this I would like to sit across a table from her and talk to her. I want to ask her if I have crossed a line, whether I have done anything to hurt her and if she feels that way I would like to apologise for it. I have known her for long. For two-and-ahalf years she has never made me feel as if she is uncomfortable (around me). I have worked very hard to be the person I have become. I do feel a little victimised but I don’t know what to do about that,” he said.

Earlier, TVF founder Arunabh Kumar found himself in the middle of the sexual harassment controversy when over 50 women stepped up to accuse him.