Tanushree Dutta sparked controversy after describing Nana Patekar’s reported death as the end of an “evil,” reviving their longstanding dispute over her sexual harassment allegations
Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta sparked controversy on social media after reacting to reports of veteran actor Nana Patekar’s death, describing the news as the end of an “evil” and drawing criticism from social media users.
According to Indian media reports, Dutta shared her initial reaction through Instagram Stories, saying that, from her perspective, it felt like the death of an evil figure because, as she alleged, he had continued to trouble her.
The actress also explained that she had received the news on a particularly busy day. She was scheduled to travel to Lucknow to attend an important event and had already planned her day around live sessions and social media posts.
Dutta said she was concerned that media attention would shift away from her scheduled event and focus entirely on the actor’s reported death and her reaction. She added that she would share her views in greater detail once she had decided how to respond. In her initial statement, she also expressed condolences to Patekar’s family.
Her remark describing the actor’s death as the end of an “evil” triggered criticism online. Following the backlash, Dutta issued a clarification, explaining that people should consider the situation from her perspective. She reiterated that she felt the term was justified because, according to her, she had been subjected to prolonged harassment.
Referring to the MeToo movement, Dutta claimed that the past five years had been extremely difficult for her. She alleged that she had experienced mental distress and that the brakes of her car had been tampered with. These allegations have not been independently verified in the information available.
Dutta had previously accused Patekar of sexual harassment over an incident she said occurred during the filming of the 2008 Bollywood film Horn OK Pleassss. She alleged that the actor had behaved inappropriately towards her on the film set.
Patekar denied the allegations, describing them as false.
The controversy surrounding Dutta’s remarks has once again drawn attention to the long-running dispute between the two actors and the wider debate surrounding allegations of sexual harassment in the Indian film industry.
