Rajat apologises after journalist alleges harassment

Actor-director Rajat Kapoor commented that he had tried to be a "good human being" all throughout his life and apologised from the "bottom of his heart after a woman journalist accused him of portraying a "lewd" and unprofessional behaviour.

Kapoor tweeted an apology on Sunday after a woman journalist gave a detailed account of how he made her feel uncomfortable when she went to interview him in 2007, the latest expose of what being known as India's #MeToo movement.

Kapoor took to the microblogging site to issue an apology, commenting that he has tried to be a decent man all his life. "If however, I have slipped and my actions or words have caused any harm or trauma to absolutely anybody.

"I am sorry from the bottom of my heart and sad that I was the cause of this hurt to another human being. If there is one thing more important to me than even my work, it is to be a good human being, which I have always tried to be. But now, I will try much harder," said the director of much-acclaimed films such as "Aankhon Dekhi."

The journalist shared her story with a fellow one, who put the screenshots of their conversation on the Twitter.

The woman, who requested anonymity, said she was "stunned" but let it pass.

She said she ended the interview after "this line of questioning and creepiness continued, wondering just how creepy would he be in person".

Though her editor gave her the option of not filing the interview, she filed it, the journalist said. In hindsight, she said she regrets going ahead with it and should have reported the incident.

By not doing so, she may have encouraged the director's "sense of entitlement that he can behave unprofessionally and in a lewd manner and get away with it - even with a journalist", she said.

The #MeToo movement, which many believe has arrived in the country after Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of harassing her on sets of a film 10 years ago, gaining momentum after a former woman employee of Phantom Films outed "Queen" director Vikas Bahl.

The incident had taken place in 2015. Phantom Films was dissolved last week.

In separate statements, Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya 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.

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.

Women from all walks of life have started to come forward, naming and shaming the predatory behaviour of men.