"I stopped him in front of everyone."
Sayantika Banerjee has alleged that she was harassed by a choreographer whilst filming Chayabaj in Bangladesh.
Reports stated that the Bengali actress returned to Kolkata without completing her work and faced claims that she was unprofessional.
Sayantika denied the claims and stated that choreographer Michael Babu harassed her on set.
When she reported Michael’s behaviour to producer Monirul Islam, he did not help her.
After a Bangladeshi news outlet reported Sayantika’s alleged ordeal, the actress broke her silence.
She revealed that her problems started elsewhere and she faced harassment due to mismanagement by the producer.
Sayantika said: “Initially, a teacher came for the dance shooting but he left because of monetary issues. Then the young boy called Michael came.
“Michael, without my consent, held my hand and I stopped him in front of everyone.”
Directed by Taju Kamrul, Chayabaj also stars Bangladeshi actor Zayed Khan.
Sayantika Banerjee also refuted allegations of not completing filming.
She continued: “I am a professional artist and can’t think of doing such things.
“Time and again, I tried to contact the producer regarding some technical issues but did not get any response. He has no planning and no management.
“We were suddenly told that a dance sequence would be shot.
“When Monirul did not respond after being called many times, I said that I would not work with Michael like this.”
She said she waited for two days in Cox’s Bazar in the hope that she would hear something from the producer.
When she did not, Sayantika returned to India.
Sayantika also claimed that Monirul told her she had to work with the choreographer for the film.
She added that she may resume Chayabaj if she receives more details about the filming and screenplay.
On the other hand, Monirul has denied Sayantika’s claims, adding that the harassment allegations are “completely false and ridiculous”.
The producer accused her of wanting to “beat up Michael”.
He also questioned Sayantika’s professionalism, claiming that she was given Rs. 50,000 (£485) for wardrobe expenses. However, she did not bring any clothes to the set.
Monirul claimed that her wardrobe was resupplied but Sayantika is yet to return the clothes.
He also raised questions about the alleged inefficiency on the set, citing an instance where both the lead stars took four hours to change their clothes.
Monirul also alleged that the lead stars remained at the hotel even after the filming crew had left, adding that he wondered what they were doing there.
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