Filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani, who maintained a strict distance from public appearances after allegations of sexual harassment surfaced against him in January, attended Akash Ambani’s and Shloka Mehta’s wedding in Mumbai on March 9. And if a report in a leading daily is anything to go by, Hirani also engaged in conversation with filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra at the event.
Hirani’s and Chopra’s reported interaction at the Ambani bash has allowed certain sections of the press to believe that “everything is well” between the filmmakers. Hirani was accused of sexual assault by a woman who worked with him in his 2018 film Sanju. The alleged victim claimed that Hirani sexually abused her on more than one occasion over a six-month period between March and September 2018.
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Rajkumar Hirani photographed with his wife at the Ambani bash[/caption]
Soon after allegations against Hirani surfaced, his name as the co-producer of Sonam Kapoor’s February release Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga was dropped from the poster of the film. Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga was produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and directed by his sister Shelly Chopra Dhar. Hirani and Chopra are frequent collaborators - Chopra has produced films such as Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., 3 Idiots, PK and Sanju – all of which were directed by Hirani. After the Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga fiasco, several quarters had assumed a possible friction in their relationship but it appears All Is Well now.
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Vidhu Vinod Chopra and his family at the Ambani bash[/caption]
Hirani, meanwhile, had denied the allegations in a statement as he wrote that it is a “false malicious and mischievous story being spread” in an attempt to destroy his reputation. Yet, Hirani has avoided the media ever since and made an appearance almost after two months - in Atul Agnihotri’s Instagram post while the filmmakers were on a flight to New Delhi on February 20.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuGvRH3gwxB/
Hirani, in fact, also attended Akash Ambani’s pre-wedding celebrations in Switzerland in March. Moreover, the filmmaker has been reportedly invited to attend the media conclave FICCI Frames from March 12 to 14.
