Tanushree Dutta stands by ‘evil dead’ remark on Nana Patekar, claims she was offered bribes after #MeToo
Mumbai/IBNS: Actor Tanushree Dutta has stood by her “evil dead” remark in response to the death of Nana Patekar, whom she had accused of sexual harassment on the sets of the 2008 film Horn ‘Ok’ Pleassss.
Tanushree Dutta explains ‘evil dead’ remark
Speaking to IANS, Tanushree said, “For me, it is Evil Dead. What I have gone through over the last five years since #MeToo, I have been so troubled.
“If you look at it from my perspective, the one who has been the victim, the one who has been troubled while the case is ongoing, how much pressure was put on me to withdraw my case? Yet, I did not withdraw it. I was offered bribes, but I still didn't withdraw the case...”
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: On the demise of veteran actor Nana Patekar, Actor Tanushree Dutta says, "For me, it is Evil Dead. What I have gone through over the last five years since #MeToo, I have been so troubled. If you look at it from my perspective, the one who has been the victim, the one who has been troubled while the case is ongoing, how much pressure was put on me to withdraw my case? Yet, I did not withdraw it. I was offered bribes, but I still didn't withdraw the case..."
— IANS (@ians_india) October 8, 2026
In her first remark on Patekar's death, Tanushree on Thursday said she was travelling to Lucknow for a work commitment and wanted to focus on the event before deciding how she should respond to the news.
Although she did not mention Nana Patekar by name, Tanushree offered condolences to his family before the video ended midway.She added that she had planned to go live and post content but was now concerned about media attention following the actor's death."Maine suna hai. I have heard the news. I just... today is my work day. I am going to Lucknow for an event, and I want to focus on that. What an odd day for all this to happen because I am doing a very big event in Lucknow, and it's pretty important for me, and I had my entire day planned out," she said.
"I wanted to do all these lives, post content. Now I am worried that in the evening all the media is going to be interested in this evil dead. So I will give my reaction once I figure out what kind of reactions I should have. So... definitely condolences to the family..." she said.
Tanushree Dutta’s sexual harassment allegation against Nana Patekar
Tanushree had accused Nana Patekar of sexually harassing her on the sets of Horn 'Ok Pleassss in 2008.
She alleged that Patekar behaved inappropriately with her during the filming of a song and had demanded that intimate dance steps be included in the sequence.
The allegations resurfaced publicly in 2018, when Tanushree spoke about the incident in interviews amid India's #MeToo movement.
She alleged that she was harassed on the film set and that her car was attacked when she tried to leave.Patekar denied the allegations and said Tanushree's claims were untrue.
The controversy became one of the key episodes of India's #MeToo movement and sparked a wider conversation about sexual harassment in the Hindi film industry.
Later, Patekar was cleared of the sexual harassment charges.
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