Sonam Kapoor said that she has huge respect for Rajkumar Hirani as a filmmaker and as a man. (Source: Varinder Chawla) Sonam Kapoor said that she has huge respect for Rajkumar Hirani as a filmmaker and as a man. (Source: Varinder Chawla) Amid the promotions of Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, actor Sonam Kapoor weighed in on the sexual assault charges against filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani. Hirani was earlier billed as a co-producer on the film but his name was dropped after the allegation surfaced. Sonam spoke about the issue and said that her film is just as important as the #MeToo movement. She told PTI, “I am a huge supporter of the #MeToo movement and this is a very important question. This is not the right platform because our film is as important as the movement.” “I know Raju Hirani very well. I have known him for many years and I have huge respect for him as a filmmaker and as a man. I think we all should reserve judgement and be very responsible before we say anything more on this subject. Because we don’t need to derail this movement,” she added. Sonam Kapoor was one of the first celebrities to support the #MeToo movement in Bollywood. She was quite vocal in supporting Tanushree Dutta. Sonam also told PTI that media should do proper research before coming to a conclusion. “Media and all journalists don’t understand how important the pen is, how important your voice is and it can make or break a person’s life. So wait, do proper research and ask what is actually happening and understand what is actually happening. I promise after the film releases, I will have something to say,” she said. Like many others who supported Rajkumar Hirani, Sonam also said, “I always want to believe a woman but suppose by chance, if it is not true, then how bad it will be for the movement, especially if it is somebody like Raju Hirani.” She added, “But till things are not clear, don’t make click-bait articles and play with somebody’s life. It will derail the movement completely.” Sonam Kapoor remarked that there was a lot of truth in Tanushree Dutta’s story, “With Tanushree Dutta (who kicked off the #MeToo movement in India last year), there was a lot of truth in the article. There was a lot of research done. A lot of people came forward. So you understand where it is coming from.” Sonam made it clear that while she wants to believe every woman, judgement must be reserved in Rajkumar Hirani’s case. The actor also asserted that she will talk about the issue later. “This film is important and it should not become about that. If I have to sit down and talk about it, I can talk about it at length but we need to be careful about the people we accuse and people whose side we take. You have to take a side and I don’t believe in sitting on the fence so I will take my side when I have to,” she said. Also Read | We will talk about it when time is right: Vidhu Vinod Chopra on sexual assault allegation against Rajkumar Hirani Producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra was earlier asked about allegations against Hirani and he told indianexpress.com “This stage here is for something else, which is extremely important for us, as important as what you’re talking about. This opportunity we should use to talk about this and that of course, when there is a right time, we will talk about it.” Rajkumar Hirani has dismissed the allegations saying, “This is a false, malicious and mischievous story being spread with the sole intention of destroying my reputation.”<doc-sep>SUBSCRIBE NOW to get the latest news, gossip on your favourite stars & oven-fresh movie reviews from top reviewers right in your inbox.<doc-sep>Actor Rajkummar Rao has supported the decision of the team of his latest film Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga over dropping Rajkumar Hirani's credit as co-producer from the movie and said a fair investigation needs to be conducted into the sexual assault allegations against the Sanju filmmaker. Hirani is the latest name to be called out for sexual harassment with a woman alleging, according to an article in HuffPost India, that he had sexually abused her more than once between March and September 2018 while working on Sanju, which he co-produced along with Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Rao said that he feels sad for the woman and hopes that an investigation is conducted. “It was absolutely shocking when I read the article. The 'Ek Ladki Ko...' team took the decision to revoke his credit from the film and I fully respect and stand by that decision,” Rao told HuffPost. The woman had detailed her allegations in an email, dated November 3, 2018, to Vidhu Vinod Chopra, along with Shelly Chopra, director of Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga. “Whenever such an allegation comes out, there has to be an investigation where both parties put their points across. It’s only then we can conclusively pass an informed judgement. Only after that we will know specifically what transpired. This is the least that can be done," Rao added. When asked why most of his colleagues from the industry were silent—many have even refused to comment— Rao said, "It’s come as a shock to everyone and specifically to those who’ve known him. People who’ve known him for years, I believe, are waiting to hear him out before forming an opinion.”<doc-sep>Actors and father-daughter duo of Anil Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor is all set for the release of first film together, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga due out on February 1. The film also stars Rajkummar Rao and Juhi Chawla in prominent roles. The team hosted a special screening of the film for their industry friends on Thursday. Sonam, Anil, Juhi and Shelly Chopra Dhar and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra were present at the screening. Sonam’s husband Anand Ahuja and cousin Janhvi Kapoor also came along to support her at the screening. Sonam’s PadMan co-star Akshay Kumar came down to watch the film with wife and author Twinkle Khanna. Sonam’s Veere Di Wedding co-star and friend Swara Bhasker too was spotted at the movie theatre. Watch: Sonam Kapoor does a little PDA with husband Anand Ahuja Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna join Sonam Kapoor at the screening. Swara Bhasker, Juhi Chawla, Janhvi Kapoor and Shelly Chopra Dhar at the screening. Akshay later shared a picture from the screening along with his review, “Still thinking about this beautiful film‪, #EkLadkiKoDekhaTohAisaLaga‬ - hats off to this woman! @sonamkapoor take a bow for making this film, deals with an important subject so wonderfully.” Twinkle also praised the film on Twitter and wrote, “A wonderful movie that stays with you #EkLadkiKoDekhaTohAisaLaga is both relevant and funny. @sonamakapoor is absolutely lovely and @iam_juhi you cracked me up-we have a cousin who speaks exactly like you do in the movie! Folks go watch it !” A wonderful movie that stays with you #EkLadkiKoDekhaTohAisaLaga is both relevant and funny. @sonamakapoor is absolutely lovely and @iam_juhi you cracked me up-we have a cousin who speaks exactly like you do in the movie! Folks go watch it ! pic.twitter.com/RVYgWBTz1a — Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) February 1, 2019 Sonam is said to be playing the role of a homosexual in the film. She has been hailed by her fans who have appreciated her for making such a choice. In a HT report, film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi has called the film a smaller release with only 800-900 screens. Predicting an opening of around Rs 2 crore, Rathi told HT, “While it’s a very non-conventional subject to be put out on the silver screen, as a society, India has become a lot more accepting of homosexuality as a concept which has been normalised now. I really hope the movie doesn’t speak about homosexuality in a serious way as that may bore the audience.” Also read: Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga box office predictions: The Sonam Kapoor, Anil Kapoor film may open at Rs 2 cr, says analyst Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10<doc-sep>
Sonam Kapoor may want to reserve her views on the Rajkumar Hirani sexual harassment case but her co-actor Rajkummar Rao has said that a fair and impartial investigation is a must. Speaking to Huffington Post before the release of his new film, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, Rajkummar said that he fully supports the move to remove Hirani’s name from the credits of Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga. Hirani is a co-producer of the film, along with Vidhu Vinod Chopra. He was quoted as saying: “It was absolutely shocking when I read the article. The Ek Ladki Ko... team took the decision to revoke his credit from the film and I fully respect and stand by that decision.” “Whenever such an allegation comes out, there has to be an investigation where both parties put their points across. It’s only then we can conclusively pass an informed judgement. Only after that we will know specifically what transpired. This is the least that can be done.” Rajkummar added that he was not aware of the details of the case but added that he did feel sad for the woman. He said “I feel very bad for the woman,” and hoped that only after a proper inquiry would one be able to form a more informed opinion. Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga released on Friday, February 1, 2019. (PTI) When asked why many in Bollywood have been silent on the matter, Rajkummar said that they were perhaps in shock and wanted to hear his side of the story before speaking up. He also said how men were very conscious of what they say now and how they behave in the wake of the #MeToo movement. During the promotions of the film, Sonam was asked about the Hirani case. Reacting to questions, she had said that she would like to reserve judgment and be very responsible before she says anything more on this subject, because it could derail the #MeToo movement. In an interview to HuffPost, published on January 3, an assistant of Raju Hirani’s accused him of sexual harassment during the making of Sanju. She claimed that the harassment continued from March 2018 to September 2018 during the time her father was battling a terminal illness, before passing away. The report says three of her friends have corroborated her story. Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10