"The actor kept improvising in the song."
Actor Priya Bapat has opened up about a deeply unsettling on-set experience from early in her career that crossed clear professional boundaries.
In a candid interview, the actress revealed that a male co-star repeatedly kissed her during a song shoot without her consent or prior agreement.
She also disclosed that her husband, actor Umesh Kamat, flew from Mumbai to Bhopal without being asked to stand by her side on set.
The incident took place on one of Priya’s earliest film projects, a time when she was still learning how to navigate the demands of the industry.
Her discomfort had actually begun much earlier, during the script reading sessions for the film, when a kissing scene was first brought to her attention.
“This was kind of my first, first films. This is all before City of Dreams and everything happened.
“And there was only one kiss in the film. And I had concerns and doubts about it right from the script reading sessions.
“And I was continuously asking the director, why do you need it here?
“It’s not about whether I want to kiss or no. But it’s just about… How do you justify it?
“How do you justify? It just doesn’t fit here.”
Despite those reservations, Priya ultimately decided to go ahead with the scene.
However, what happened during the actual shoot went far beyond what had been discussed, rehearsed or agreed upon.
During a song sequence, the male co-star began improvising physical intimacy that nobody had planned for or consented to.
“And then there were moments where the actor kept improvising in the song.
“And he kept kissing me. And me being, I don’t know why.
“I didn’t take a stand for myself at that point of time. Because I didn’t know how to deal with this.”
Looking back, she expressed genuine frustration with herself for not having spoken up and asserted her boundaries more firmly.
The unwanted behaviour did not remain confined to the film set but followed Priya into her personal space.
The co-star persistently tried to reach out to her beyond filming hours, making repeated and unwanted advances.
This was despite her clearly communicated lack of interest.
The situation was made more difficult by the fact that both were staying in the same hotel during the shoot.
He reportedly kept messaging her, inviting her to join him for swimming lessons, requesting dinner together and asking to meet for breakfast.
She refused all of his advances firmly, stating that she had no interest in any of what he was proposing.
The actress also emphasised that nothing of this kind had ever happened to her before.
She also said that it was something she never wanted to experience again.
Priya Bapat is now preparing to return to the psychological genre with one of her most anticipated upcoming projects, Dalimb: The Myth.
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