Bollywood choreographer Ganesh Acharya has been booked for sexual harassment after a senior background dancer made a complaint about him to the National Commission for Women (NCW). These allegations have come up merely a week after an assistant dancer filed an FIR against him for alleged sexual harassment.
The recent complainant revealed to Mid-Day that the choreographer tried to abuse her three decades ago. She also revealed that she is married and had kids since then but when she heard about the FIR filed against Ganesh, she knew he hadn’t changed in all these years and had to speak up.
Talking about the horrific incident in detail, she said:
In 1990, I used to go to Sahiba hall in Andheri West where several masters take dance classes. Acharya used to assist Kamal masterji. I was 18 then and working as a non-member dancer. One day, Acharya said it’s mandatory to learn Jive for auditions and invited me to his class in Santacruz East. Classes were held on Sundays at 11 am. His assistant Dilip picked me up from Khar subway and dropped me to a room on the first floor of Hotel East and West. I did not suspect anything till that point. There were no other students. Acharya said Dilip has gone to bring the sound system and other students. On the pretext of teaching me Jive, he kissed my neck and cheeks.
She further added:
When I resisted, he threw me on the bed and said he wanted to make love to me and marry me. I kept saying no but he kept moving his hands over my body. I was too terrified and told him I am on my period. He finally got off from me and said, ‘Kya yaar, mood kharab kar diya’
Acharya has denied all the allegations against him claiming that these are people who are trying to tarnish his image and the truth about this will definitely come out. Tanushree Dutta who acted as the torchbearer of the #MeToo movement in Bollywood recently urged Bollywood to boycott the choreographer who she claimed to have been hiding behind big actors.