Kriti Sanon said that producer Sajid Nadiadwala “handled the situation well” after Sajid Khan, who was directing her upcoming film Housefull 4, was accused of sexual harrasment in the wake of the MeToo movement in India last year. Farhad Samji took over as the director of Housefull 4 after allegations against Sajid Khan surfaced while MeToo accused Nana Patekar was also replaced in the film by Rana Daggubati.
While speaking to a leading daily, Kriti said that after controversy ensued over Sajid Khan in October, shoot of Housefull 4 was interrupted for only two days following which the cast and crew resumed filming.
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Kriti Sanon photographed in Mumbai[/caption]
"We would wake up to multiple #MeToo stories every day. We were angry, shocked, disappointed; but at the same time, we were glad that people were talking about it. As far as Housefull 4 is concerned, the credit goes to Sajid Nadiadwala who handled the situation well. The shooting was stalled only for two days, post which we were back on track,” Kriti told the daily, adding that she “never felt unsafe” on the sets of the film.
Sajid Khan was accused of behaving inappropriately with actress Saloni Jain while she was working with him. Apart from Saloni, a senior journalist had also revealed that the filmmaker had “exposed himself and forcefully kissed her” during an interview. Soon after allegations surfaced, Sajid announced his decision of “stepping down” as the director of the upcoming film Housefull 4. Following his resignation, production house Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment announced that the film will be directed by Farhad Samji, who previously directed Housefull 3.
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File photo of Sajid Khan[/caption]
The MeToo movement gained momentum in India after Tanushree Dutta recounted an old accusation she made against Nana Patekar for alleged sexual harassment on the sets of their 2008 film Horn OK Pleasssss. Accusations against Nana Patekar led to his exit from Housefull 4 following which several sequences were re-shot with Rana Daggubati in place of him, Kriti said, adding that despite slight change in the schedule, filming was complete before the scheduled date.
"We had to reshoot a lot of portions since Rana replaced Nana Patekar, so Nadiadwala put in extra money (into the film) despite it not being his fault. A lot of important sequences, including the climax, were shot after the change happened. Yet, we were able to finish the film a day prior to the scheduled date,” Kriti added while speaking to the daily.
Housefull 4 co-stars Akshay Kumar, Ritesh Deshmukh, Kriti Kharbanda, Bobby Deol and Pooja Hegde apart from Kriti Sanon and Rana Daggubati.
