Bengali director Arindam Sil accused of sexual harassment

At a West Bengal Commission for Women (WBCW) hearing on the sexual harassment case involving Arindam Sil, at least one of the two witnesses supported the claim that the actor appeared uncomfortable after being kissed by the director on set. Leena Gangopadhyay, the WBCW chairperson, confirmed that the hearing with the two witnesses occurred on Monday. However, she further noted that the details of the proceeding are confidential.

According to several reports, one of the witnesses testified that his assistant had witnessed the incident and reported it to him during the filming of Ekti Khunir Sandhane Mitin. The witnessed also confirmed that the actor seemed visibly distressed. The other witness reportedly saw the director kissing the actor. However, he did not realize the gravity of the situation.

Repeated calls and messages to Nispal Singh Rane, the producer of Ekti Khunir Sandhane Mitin, did not elicit any response. While further reports are awaited, the future of Arindam Sil’s upcoming movies remain in jeopardy. His upcoming release Saheb Bibi Joker, which is scheduled to be released on September 13, is going through a similar turmoil. However, the makers have noted that the project’s release will remain unharmed due to the current investigations surrounding Sil. Producer Rupa Datta said, “The production house on the sets of which this incident happened in April should have taken steps.”

She further added, “No untoward incident happened in our production house because of him. I am there to protest against all acts of proven guilt. But is it possible to change the credit line days before the release? We will proceed with the release on Sept 13.However, our digital team has not engaged in any collaboration on social media with him for this launch.” However, Datta has postponed the release of Sil’s Iskaboner Bibi, which was scheduled for the end of October.