Anurag Kashyap and Vikas Bahl had a massive fallout last
year after the latter was accused of sexual harassment. In fact,
SpotboyE.com was the first to tell you that matters heated between Anurag and
Vikas to such an extent that the former wanted the latter out of Phantom
ASAP.
Over a year on, things have not settled between the two. Now, Anurag has
confirmed to Bombay Times that he is not on talking terms with Vikas.
He said, “My stand on this is the same as it was back
then. Vikas works in the company, he is a partner and nothing against him has
been proven. But mutually, we’ve decided that we will work separately, in
separate premises. Vikas and I are not on talking terms; everything else is a
rumour. We will continue making films together but I see no point in making him
uncomfortable. We can work in different set-ups. I don’t feel the need to sort
anything out, because no one came forward to say or prove anything, at that
time.”
Anurag Kashyap And Vikas Bahl's Pic In Their Happier Times
When asked about the sexual harassment incident, Anurag
said, “I have also been through abuse, but somewhere, we have conditioned
ourselves to believe that abuse comes with the rite of passage. I was a boy
when I was abused. When I tried speaking about it, people said, ‘Hota hai
yaar’. What does that even mean? No one ever addresses these things. When I
addressed it at the age of 19, I was the only one who did it. My friends and
the school got upset, saying, ‘Tu sabko badnaam kar raha hai.’ There are very few
people who take a stand in such matters and this will take a long time to
change. Har aadmi rumour mein baat karta hai. I have fought these battles so
many times. In a recent case from another company, I had to protect a girl, who
named her perpetrator, and a committee was also set up. She was threatened and
I got her under my wing to protect her. Those responsible for her suffering
were fired from the company. The matter was thoroughly investigated and that
company was prompt in taking action. It’s the only case I know where someone
stood up. You are perceived as the backstabber because you stood up for someone
else. Fighting against abuse is pointless if the victim doesn’t speak up. My
integrity and intentions will be questioned if the person abused doesn’t stand
up for himself or herself and only I do the talking. It’s a cycle and it will
take time to set things right.”
Not just these, there have also been rumours saying that
Anurag no longer visits the Phantom office since Vikas was brought on board to
direct Super 30. “The subject of me working separately was all bull talk. I
have worked from home for 25 years, even when we set up Phantom. Yes, Vikas and
I don’t work on the same projects and we work from different premises. But
everyone knows maine 25 saal se ghar ko office bana rakha hai. I work from a
room and I am the happiest doing that. I had started going to office for a very
silly reason. I had a massive crush on Shubhra Shetty (Kashyap’s girlfriend)
and the office staff used her as a bait to get me to work. People don’t know
anything and yet they talk like they know it all. You know, I love the way
Vidhu Vinod Chopra works. He doesn’t come out of his house and I don’t like
coming out of my house either,” concluded Anurag.