bollywood

Updated: Oct 08, 2018 18:22 IST

Hrithik Roshan has addressed sexual harassment allegations against the director of his upcoming film, Super 30, and said it is impossible for him to work with any person “guilty of such grave misconduct”. A former employee of Phantom Films, actor Kangana Ranaut and an unnamed female actor have claimed that Bahl harassed them sexually.

Hrithik wrote on Twitter, “It is impossible for me to work with any person if he/she is guilty of such grave misconduct. I am away and have access to only sporadic information. I have requested the producers of Super 30 to take stock of the apparent facts and take a harsh stand if need be. This is not to be hushed or brushed under the carpet. All proven offenders must be punished and all exploited people must be empowered and given strength to speak up.”

Earlier, the dissolution of Phantom Films, co-founded by Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Madhu Mantena and Bahl, was attributed to the sexual assault allegations leveled against the Queen director.

In a Huffington Post report, the woman detailed how Vikas entered her hotel room after a party in October 2015 and pretended to be drunk and passed out. He then forced himself on her but when she protested against his advances, he masturbated on her back and left the room.

The woman says she suffered through depression due to the incident and Vikas would often threaten and bully her at work in the following years. Both Kashyap and Motwane apologized to the victim on Twitter, promising that such predatory behavior will not happen ever again on their watch.

Super 30 is the last production of Phantom Films and is expected to release on January 25. The film is inspired by the life of mathematician Anand Kumar.

Before Hrithik’s statement, a report said that Amazon Prime Video has dropped Bahl from a show he was to direct for the company. The company is yet to issue any official statement.