'Vipul Shah tried to kiss me, he touched my butt'

I came to Mumbai and faced a lot of sht I met him Vipul Shah during the preproduction of the film Namaste England My manager informed me that Parineeti Chopra was playing the main lead And I could be cast as the second leadVipul had offered the role to Jacqueline Fernandes who had let it pass He met me and I was surprised that in the first quick meeting itself he spoke as if we were going ahead with it the offer We just need to do a looktest and sign papers he said making it contract sound like a formality I hadnt even auditioned for the film It was weird because things like these take timeA few days later he made me do an audition with casting director Honey Trehan which wasnt even for an actual scene I woke up at 6 am reached Versova beach was made to do a few natural scenes just being myself The casting director it seemed to me had not even been briefedVipul got back saying this isnt what he wanted I met him again in his office and again he mentioned We will sign the papers over the next couple of days This time when we were saying bye he came on to me It was too close for comfort I didnt get the right vibe He gave a peck on my face I didnt expect it I called up my manager after this to say Vipul is serious He wants to sign the papers Get in touch with him and go ahead For days I kept chasing my manager who told me that Vipul wasnt getting backNorousis former manager who wishes to stay anonymous when contacted independently by midday corroborated the fact that the casting deal was nearly done and then had fallen through for no apparent reason When I asked Vipul he said he wanted to conduct another audition Basically I went through six rounds of auditions for the film and he made me feel like the planets worst actor My confidence was shattered I kept feeling like I was auditioning and not cracking the part It was only later I realised that this was his way of calling me to his office over and over again to get closer to meThe next time we met at his office he tried to kiss me I backed off said What are you doing We are in your office I pushed him away being affirmative but careful enough not to come across as rude because I really wanted the filmVipul didnt apologise though I hoped he had understood the point During this time I had asked him about when we were starting the film He told me we would begin the Punjab schedule followed by a London schedule and that I didnt have any work in the former only the latter He wanted me to get familiar with lead actors Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra So he told me that he would make sure that I get to go to Punjab when they shoot the films first schedule as well We did another set of auditions Again he said he needed to look at them see if he can do workshops with me after which I would be ready for the role During this meeting once more he tried to touch me inappropriately I said I was unwell and that I had to leave I left the country thereafter to promote a film of mine When I returned and got in touch with Vipul he called me over to Patiala It was a fivehour drive from Amritsar I did another audition there in his presence We were staying on the same hotelfloor After the audition we went up together I asked him about when I could hear the films story He had always avoided narrating it thus farThis time he said Come to my room I will make you hear the script At this point he touched my butt and dragged me towards himself I dodged him went to my room and sat there wondering if I should just give in When I got a message from his assistant to come down for dinner I thought everything was normal But I felt there was something weird about him at the tableOne of the associates working on Namaste England when independently contacted by midday confirmed that Norousi was in Patiala for no apparent reason Shah was merely considering her for the part She was never onboard The associate claimed that Shah hadnt liked Norousis audition tapes much And yet she was a part of the films recceFor two months after this I would wake up anxiously every morning waiting for a text back from Vipul on when Id be signing the contract He kept delaying it In the meantime I had cracked a part in the Netflix series Sacred Games They were keen to sign me upAt that point I took the offer to Vipul He said that he would launch me in a big way It was a girlnextdoor part in Namaste England and that he was clear he would not be able to cast me as a result of Sacred Games and that I should skip the offer since they would make me do nude scenes I was ready to let go of Sacred Games when a friend of mine made me go back to Phantom and ask them what my scenes were going to be like I told Vipul that I had no nude scenes in Sacred Games and that I had read the scriptHe kept asking me to skip the offer He still had not signed a contract with me for Namaste England I was mentally tortured for three months It was evident that if I slept with Vipul I would get the part Every time I went to his office he tried to hit on me He would inappropriately touch me and try to kiss meI want these men to stop doing this because they think they have enough power to do so He used my vulnerabilities to ensure that I give in I almost agreed at one point in Patiala when I was away from home and family I could see that it was a big offer Thankfully I had realised that the part was way smaller than how he was projecting it to be I wouldnt have been on posters and in songs I could have broken down and given in I used the time to understand his tactics insteadI didnt take the matter to the police because as a foreigner I didnt know enough about my rights And I strongly believe in karma I know this happens to women everywhere not just in Bollywood No one wants to jeopardise their jobsThe police would probably laugh at me Vipul is a stronger figure I am a foreign national They could create visa issues for me I have had it hard enough here already So I was scared I was happy that Sacred Games came my way and I could pull myself out of months of depression over not bagging Namaste England If I was such a bad actor then how come they PhantomNetflix hired meIts okay to be attracted to someone and do something consensually But this is coercing someone to get physical It would have been okay if he had approached me saying Hey I like you but film wont work outBut this was his way of keeping me hanging in there so I give in and he gets to take advantage of his power mdash being a big director It the episode took me to dark places It was funny when his guys recently called me back saying they loved me in Sacred Games and wanted me to do Commando 3 I let it pass No woman should have to succumb and submit to get workThe only reason I am sharing this is because I want these kinds of disgusting people to stop misusing their power There are many like Vipul There shall be more stories if we see that things dont changeAs told to Mohar BasuAlso ReadVipul Shah Had approached Akshay Kumar Katrina Kaif for 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