In separate statements, Kashyap and Motwane, who formed the company along with Bahl and Madhu Mantena seven years ago, detailed the backdoor deliberations that took place in order to punish their partner.
Kashyap said his legal aide told him there was nothing he could do to fire Bahl from the company.
"I did everything I could, within what I was told by my partner and his lawyers... His word and his team's word on any matter used to be the final word for us.
"According to legal advice provided to me then, I was told that we had very limited options. Now in hindsight and after taking stock of things myself, I can quite see how I was ill-advised," Kashyap said.
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From left: Madhu Mantena, Vikas Bahl, Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane The director added the lawyers told him that Bahl's removal from the company was hindered by his status as "an equal promoter/director who actually ran the company" and that there was no clause in their contract to fire him "on the grounds of misconduct".
In a recent article in HuffPost India, a former woman employee of the now dissolved production banner has reiterated the allegations and shared further details about the incident in May 2015.
According to the report, the woman said she had reached out to Kashyap and detailed her experience, but no action was taken while Bahl continued to harass her until she left the company.
My statement in light of the recent HuffPost article and breaking up of Phantom . There are two pages.. https://t.co/WCAsaj6uFR
Kashyap claimed that the story got out only after he corroborated it with HuffPost journalist and added that he was the anonymous source who shared the story with the press last year.
Motwane, in his statement, said he was unaware of the incident until March 2017.
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"I didn't hear about the incident between Vikas and the girl when it happened in 2015. The the first time I heard of it was in March 2017, when Anurag called me and told me about it."
Kangana Ranaut Turns 31: Here's A Look At Her Evolving Style
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Bollywood's 'Queen' Kangana Ranaut's fashion has always been on point. The star has never failed to impress fans with her amazing fashion sense. She is one one the actresses to have experimented and nailed various makeover ever since her debut movie 'Gangster' released in 2006.
As the 'Tanu Weds Manu' actress turns 31, here's a look at how her fashion evolved through the years.
Bollywood's 'Queen' Kangana Ranaut's fashion has always been on point. The star has never failed to impress fans with her amazing fashion sense. She is one one the actresses to have experimented and ..
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Ranaut made her debut in 2006 and became the fresh face Bollywood wanted for a long time.
The managed to balance her style with the characters she played in her movies. She nailed the funky and casual dressing like a boss.
Ranaut made her debut in 2006 and became the fresh face Bollywood wanted for a long time.
The managed to balance her style with the characters she played in her movies. She nailed the funky and casu..
Read More
This was the year 'Life In A Metro' released. From traditional to western, her style reflected the 'charming and sensual' girl next door.
This was the year 'Life In A Metro' released. From traditional to western, her style reflected the 'charming and sensual' girl next door.
Ranaut starred in many movies during this peroid, but her performance in Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Fashion' was the much talked-about. Her role inspired her to experiment more with her outfits.
Ranaut starred in many movies during this peroid, but her performance in Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Fashion' was the much talked-about. Her role inspired her to experiment more with her outfits.
After the success of 'Fashion', Ranaut was on a success high. Her style was proof of that. She started experimenting more with block-prints, bold colours, etc.
After the success of 'Fashion', Ranaut was on a success high. Her style was proof of that. She started experimenting more with block-prints, bold colours, etc.
The year of glitter for Ranaut. She mostly opted for satin and shimmer-y outfits. We believe it was the after-effects of 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbai' that was based in the 1970s Bombay.
Riding on her success, she nailed the clothing, hair and make-up this year.
The year of glitter for Ranaut. She mostly opted for satin and shimmer-y outfits. We believe it was the after-effects of 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbai' that was based in the 1970s Bombay.
Riding on he..
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She starred in various films this year, but 'Tanu Weds Manu' resonated in hearts of her fans. She perfectly blend in Tanu's character of a free spirited girl, and wasn't shy in trying out the different colours, styles and looks.
She starred in various films this year, but 'Tanu Weds Manu' resonated in hearts of her fans. She perfectly blend in Tanu's character of a free spirited girl, and wasn't shy in trying out the differ..
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This was a quiet year for the actress. She proved her star-power with her classy dressing despite a movie-wise lull. She was part of various fashion shows, launches, etc.
This was a quiet year for the actress. She proved her star-power with her classy dressing despite a movie-wise lull. She was part of various fashion shows, launches, etc.
Here comes the 'Diva'!
After the success of her blockbuster 'Queen', she was once again back with a bang. Her fashion choices became more refined and she opted for more elegant colours and designs.
Here comes the 'Diva'!
After the success of her blockbuster 'Queen', she was once again back with a bang. Her fashion choices became more refined and she opted for more elegant colours and designs.
The 'Revolver Rani' actress attended various commercial events, premieres and a race course gala in 2014. Her elegant style and simplicity did the trick!
The 'Revolver Rani' actress attended various commercial events, premieres and a race course gala in 2014. Her elegant style and simplicity did the trick!
Apologising for the incident, he said he will ensure a safer work environment on the sets of his films.
"I'm truly sorry about what happened to the girl. Vikas Bahl is a sexual offender. He's preyed on a young woman, abused her trust, ruined her life. The scars are going to stay and that just isn't right.
"The only thing I can offer now is an apology. And the only thing I can say is that this will never happen again on my watch," he wrote.
The company's fourth partner, Mantena, is yet to react on the controversy.
While big names from the Hindi film industry have still not reacted on the row, the revelations against Bahl drew a fierce reaction from their frequent collaborators -- "Sacred Games" co-writer Varun Grover and "Masaan" director Neeraj Ghaywan.
Grover took to Twitter to slam the company for failing to provide its women employees a safe work environment.
"I am sorry. As somebody who has been a part of many projects with #Phantom in various capacities (lyrics/writer), I feel ashamed that they failed to provide safe working environment for women," he wrote.
He said it was a failure on his part that he did not stressed upon the company to follows the guidelines of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, also known as PoSH guidelines.
Ghaywan said he felt disgusted by the allegations.
"I have felt absolutely disgusted by what Vikas Bahl did to a fellow team member. A legal complication enabled that he couldn't be sacked owing to him being a partner.
"... I am complicit in working with the company that allows it. I allowed myself to work where such toxic male behaviour and perverse patriarchal mind-set fostered," he wrote.
#MeToo Hits 2018 Nobel Prize For Literature, No Award In 75 Years
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Japanese author Kazuo Ishiguro won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2017. The man behind seven novels, a short-story collection and screenplays, Ishiguro was born in bomb-hit Nagasaki in 1954, and moved to England at the age of 5.
Japanese author Kazuo Ishiguro won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2017. The man behind seven novels, a short-story collection and screenplays, Ishiguro was born in bomb-hit Nagasaki in 1954, and m..
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The physics prize was divided, one half awarded to Rainer Weiss (L), the other half jointly to Barry C. Barish (C) and Kip S. Thorne (R) "for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves".
They received the prize for the discovery of gravitational waves released in the world by violent events in the universe such as the mergers of black holes. Weiss, professor emeritus of physics at MIT, along with Thorne and Barish, California Institute of Technology physicists, pioneered LIGO, or the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, the scientific project that made gravitational wave detection possible.
The physics prize was divided, one half awarded to Rainer Weiss (L), the other half jointly to Barry C. Barish (C) and Kip S. Thorne (R) "for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the obser..
Before the HuffPost article was published, the four partners on Saturday announced that have decided to dissolve their banner Phantom Films, without citing the reason for the decision.
The article, which went viral on social media, was shared by a number of Bollywood celebrities such as filmmaker Hansal Mehta, screenwriter Apurva Asrani, director Nandita Das and Kubbra Sait, among others.
