Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’s Jennifer Mistry accuses Asit Modi of sexual harassment
Jennifer Mistry Bansiwal has confirmed that she quit the show in March and alleged that producers Sohil Ramani and Asit Modi sexually assaulted her. She alleged that she had been such actions for a long time but endured them, hoping for improvement with time.
After Disha Vakani and Shailesh Lodha, she is the latest among the team of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah , which has been running for more than a decade, to speak against the makers.
Insisting that Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah gave her all the money, name and popularity that she enjoys today, Jennifer told ETimes that she believes people must know whatever she has gone through. “There have been multiple incidents when he (Asit) has tried to flirt with me and made sexual advances…There was also one incident when he called me ‘sexy’ and pulled my cheeks. I have filed a case of sexual harassment against Asit Kumarr Modi, Sohail Ramani and Jatin Bajaj.”
Jennifer added, “Every person on Taarak Mehta is a bonded labourer. There have been many incidents that have happened in the past and I let go, thinking that things will change. Khoon ka ghoont peekar I’ve ignored. Like, during pregnancy, I didn’t want to leave the show, but they sacked me because Gurucharan Singh (her onscreen husband) left.” She added that she even suggested alternate storylines and requested several times to not be sacked. She also said that she was ready to work till the ninth month of her pregnancy, but was sacked instead.
Responding to the allegations, project head of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah Sohil Ramani spoke to Hindustan Times in an interview. He said that the production house terminated Jennifer’s contract three months ago. “She has been working with us for 15 years, shooting mein bohot saare utar chadhav hote hai (there are many ups and downs during a shoot). We have ignored her characteristics such as creating rifts among others, coming two hours late for shoot, creating misunderstandings. We have a lot of evidence against her,” he said.
He added, “We have a committee of women, why did she never complain to the committee? All of us have never even entered a female artist’s makeup room. She is playing the woman card.”