Alok Nath, who for years has been dubbed the sanskaari bapu of Bollywood, has been accused of alleged rape by TV writer-producer Vinta Nanda in a long post Facebook post. Even though Nanda doesn’t explicitly name him in it, Nath’s identity is strongly implied when she says “…irony is that the man, the predator in question here is the actor par excellence who is known as the most #Sanskaari (cultured) person in the film and television industry” – something the social media didn’t spend too much time decoding. Most, including CINTAA, assumed immediately it was Alok Nath she’s talking about.
Nanda is best known for writing ‘Tara‘ – one of the biggest shows on Indian television during the mid 90s. She wrote a long account revealing the sexual harassment, assault, rape and subsequent bullying she had to face at his hands. She describes how her friendship with Nath’s wife made her lower her defences around him, something he allegedly took advantage of. Nanda describes her harasser as an ‘alcoholic, shameless and obnoxious’ man, who even allegedly misbehaved with the female lead of the show and got slapped for it.
“I was invited to a party to this mans house, his wife, my best friend was out of town. As the evening flowed, my drinks were mixed and I began to feel strange. Then at around 2 am I left his house. Midway I was accosted by this man who was driving his own car and he asked me to sit in it and said he would drop me home. I can remember more liquor being poured into my mouth and I remember being violated endlessly. When I woke up the next afternoon, I was in pain. I hadn’t just been raped, I was taken to my own house and had been brutalised,” Nanda confessed to writing, 19 years after the incident.
Dear @vintananda I am so so sorry. As @CintaaOfficial a show-cause Notice will be sent to @aloknath first thing in the mrng, why he shudnt b expld. Unfortunately we’ve to follow the due process. I urge u to file a complaint against this vile creature, we extend u full support.
— sushant singh (@sushant_says) October 8, 2018
Why has she finally decided to speak up? “I don’t want that any girl should ever fear holding the truth back. What followed because of my silence was even worse. I became easy prey because the message had been put out that I was afraid and so I would not open my mouth.” — recounting how she was violated more than once.
After Nanda’s account went viral overnight, CINTAA (Cine & TV Artists Association) official Sushant Singh reached out to the alleged victim promising full support, and declaring they’ll send showcause notice to actor Alok Nath.
Speaking to Aaj Tak, Alok Nath said: “In the current situation, if a women accuses a man, no one will listen to a man’s version so it’s useless to react. I have known her. I would not like to comment on it. She has the right to put forward her thoughts. Right now, I am trying to come to terms with the whole thing. Will comment later.”
