#MeToo: Shweta Pandit accuses Anu Malik of sexual harassment when she was a minor
In a lengthy post on Twitter, the singer accused Malik of being a 'pedophile and sexual predator'.
By ET Online and Agencies | Updated:
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Shweta Pandit and Anu Malik (R)
NEW DELHI: After Kailash Kher and Abhijeet Bhattacharya, a new name has cropped up from the music industry.
Singer Shweta Pandit on Wednesday accused music composer Anu Malik of harassment when she was a minor. In a lengthy post on Twitter, the singer accused Malik of being a "pedophile and sexual predator", saying he misbehaved with her when she was a greenhorn in the Hindi music industry.
Pandit said she was an admirer of the musician and was thrilled when she got a call from Malik's manager to come to Andheri's Empire Studio in mid 2001 to meet him.
Had to go back to my worst memory as a teenage girl today to write this and speak up - its now or never. This is my… https://t.co/BMoRFwZLIc
Malik then asked Pandit to sing a few lines for a voice test.
"I sang it well so he said, 'I'll give you this song with Sunidhi and Shaan but first give me a kiss now'. He then smiled, what I'd recall the most evil grin I've seen. I went numb and pale in the face. I was only 15 years old then, still in school," she said.
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"Can anyone even imagine what it felt that moment? It felt like someone had just stabbed me in my stomach. I referred to this man as 'Anu uncle' he knew my entire family for decades and knew us as a respected gharana of musicians...," said Pandit, who is the grandniece of veteran Classical singer Pandit Jasraj.
Calling it the "worst experience of my life", the singer said she was depressed for months after the incident and could not even bring it up with her parents.
A week ago, singer Sona Mohapatra had also called Malik as a "serial predator". Shweta Pandit In response to Pandit's allegation, Mohapatra thanked her for speaking up and calling out Malik.
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"Sending you love, big healing and strength @ShwetaPandit7. That #AnuMalik did this to you as a child is something #India has to make note of. Thank you so much for being brave and bringing this out in the open. I know how difficult that is and the pressure to let 'bygones be bygones'.
"That so many people trolled me for my #AnuMalik #TimesUp story scoffing because they think calling me 'Maal' or calling up at odd hours doesn't constitute as sexual harassment. Please note, you don't know Sh*t. Predators do much worse when they get a chance because of people like you," she wrote on Twitter.
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When contacted for a response to Pandit's allegatins, Malik told , "No comments. This is ridiculous. I don't want to talk about it. Today anyone says anything."
From Harvey Weinstein To Bill Cosby's Trials & Convictions: #TimesUp Sends Clear Message
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It all started with Harvey Weinstein in 2017 and four months in to 2018 and now with Bill Cosby's conviction, things are certainly looking up for the #MeToo movement. The number of cases of sexual harassment in Hollywood that have come to light since 2017 has been outstanding. It could also be called the 'Weinstein Effect'. Many of the women who spoke out against Weinstein -- Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan -- are famous names.
2018 has been no different and in a breakthrough trial, after decades of whispers, lawsuits, investigations and close calls - and a multitude of women who lost hope anyone would ever believe their word against that of America's Dad - Bill Cosby could be headed to prison at age 80 for the remainder of his life. Cosby's conviction will only bolster the #MeToo movement.
But they weren't alone, it was almost like a Pandora's Box was opened and a lot of names came out. Let's look at all the accused men:
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