Bengal Director Says “Was Unintentional” After Actor’s #MeToo Charge

Bengali filmmaker Arindam Sil, who was suspended by the Directors’ Association of Eastern India (DAEI) following a complaint of alleged sexual harassment by an actor, has denied the charges and said what was being construed as misbehaviour was unintentional. He said he never took it that way, and the alleged incident happened during the normal course of shooting in front of people.

Mr Sil is the first big name in the Bengali film industry, also called Tollywood, against whom action has been taken by the DAEI, following a massive #MeToo movement in the Kerala film industry.

“How do I react? I don’t know. But only one thing I can say I have been 100 per cent clear to my conscience, and the matter to which I have been blamed is something that has happened in front of all who were there while I was discussing a sequence and acting, how a scene should be done. I think most directors do that,” Mr Sil told NDTV today.

“There were other people on the floor, though shooting was being done inside a room. There were technicians too. I can only say that it was 100 per cent unintentional. But the other party, she might have felt something else, but I haven’t felt it, absolutely not felt it,” he said.

“I am absolutely an extremely professional person, working in this industry for years. On the floor, cinema is my passion and if there is anything that has to be shown, it’s done very clinically. That’s how I do it… As far as the woman is concerned, unintentionally if I have hurt the actor, then I am sorry. Whatever I spoke or we all discussed, nothing was videographed or recorded,” he said.

An apology letter which Mr Sil had submitted to the women’s commission that’s looking into the allegation was cited as prima facie evidence by the DAEI in suspending him from the association.

On what he plans to do next, Mr Sil told NDTV, “I don’t know. Let’s see.”

The actor had filed the complaint with the West Bengal Commission for Women. Mr Sil said the DAEI suspended him before he could present his views to the association.

The actor told NEWS18 Bangla that she had full faith in the commission. “Let me ask him why one has to be physical to explain a shot? We are all professional actors. The rest I will state before the commission whenever needed in the future,” she said.

Mr Sil is known for his detective films such as ‘Har Har Byomkesh’ and ‘Mitin Mashi’, besides the Shabor series.