Anu Malik has been preying on girls his daughters’ age for years, says Alisha Chinai
Alisha Chinai has voiced her support for the women coming out against Anu Malik. Alisha had accused him of sexual harassment in the ’90s.
The allegations of sexual harassment continue to pile up against Bollywood music director Anu Malik. Hours after singer Caralisa Monteiro became the latest to accuse Malik, Alisha Chinai, who worked with him extensively in the ’90s, has said that she believes everything that has been written and said about him.
“Every word said and written about Anu Malik is true. I stand by all the women who have finally spoken up. May they find peace and closure in their lives,” Alisha told Deccan Chronicle.
Alisha had accused Malik of molestation in the ’90s. The matter was settled a few years later and they reconciled as co-judges on Indian Idol. She also dragged him to court.
“When I sued (Anu) Malik, I fought it alone. It was an unprecedented landmark verdict and a restraining order was passed against him. The man has repeatedly begged for my forgiveness. I have chosen to forgive him and moved on,” Alisha said in a recent interview.
Alisha went on to say that Malik would routinely prey up girls his daughters’ age, and often in their presence at his house. “Shweta Pandit, who disclosed her horrific experience with Malik, is the niece of composer duo Jatin-Lalit. Malik has two daughters and all these years he has been preying on girls his daughters’ age. Many of them were attacked in his house with his wife and daughters present,” she said.
Previously, allegations of misconduct against Malik began with singer Sona Mohapatra, who called him a ‘serial predator’ and also accused singer Kailash Kher of harassing her. This was followed by Shweta’s account — in which she said that the alleged incident happened when she was 15 — after which several anonymous women came forward with their stories.
Denying all claims, Anu Malik’s lawyer had said in a statement, “The allegations made against my client are emphatically denied as completely false and baseless. My client respects the #metoo movement but to use this movement to start a character assassination mission is obnoxious.” He has since stepped down as judge on Indian Idol 10.
Alisha also alleged that Malik’s reputation was well-known in the industry but that he felt protected by his colleagues and his family. “Producers and filmmakers like Sajid Nadiadwala, Sajid Khan, JP Dutta, Gulzar and Rakeysh Mehra continued to work repeatedly with Malik, in spite of his reputation. Some of them must have definitely known about his reputation as the entire film industry, including his own nephews, composer Amaal Mallik, and singer Armaan Malik talk about it. Yet they turned a blind eye to his ugly behaviour,” she said.
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