MUMBAI: The #MeToo movement hit Bollywood yet again on Tuesday, with Anirban Das Blah, founder of KWAN Entertainment, one of the biggest celebrity management companies, forced to step down after four women, who wish to remain anonymous, levelled charges of sexual harassment against him.
“We have asked Anirban Blah to forthwith step aside from his duties, activities and responsibilities at KWAN, its subsidiaries and affiliates with immediate effect,” said a statement issued by the entertainment and marketing company.
It added that KWAN was committed to creating a “safe and secure” working environment.“We fully support the #MeToo movement and deprecate and condemn those who have exploited women in any form or manner. As a responsible corporate, we have taken assistance to ensure that we have efficient and appropriate processes to redress any complaint of misconduct in accordance with the law,” the statement read.
A daily newspaper had published the accounts of the four survivors. An actress said he asked her “if I would be willing to be part of an unnatural sex set-up”. “I asked him to back off in harsh words and left the meeting,” she said, adding that she stopped getting brand offers and some of her endorsement deals were transferred to other actresses.