Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Actor and filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar has said Nana Patekar “suffered a lot for no reason” after actor Tanushree Dutta accused him of sexual harassment. Revisiting the controversy involving his friend, Manjrekar claimed that people present on the set where the alleged incident took place had told him that nothing had happened.
Dutta accused Patekar of sexually harassing her on the sets of Horn Ok Pleassss in 2008. The allegations resurfaced in 2018 and became a prominent part of India’s #MeToo movement. Patekar consistently denied the allegations. Manjrekar questioned why the controversy had returned to public discussion and expressed regret that he had not met Patekar one last time before his death on October 8, 2026.
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In an interview with News18 Marathi, Manjrekar said he knew several people who were present during the shoot. He maintained that he knew what had happened because he was acquainted with those on the set.
“Some people are like that. Even if everyone supports them and one person doesn’t, they will not like it. It is okay. But then they bring up an old matter. I know what happened that day. Everyone on the set was known to me, and I also know who was present there. It was highlighted for no reason,” he said.
Manjrekar claimed that he had spoken to people present during the shoot and that they had told him nothing had happened. He said the controversy had taken a heavy toll on Patekar.
“Everyone I knew on the sets had told me that nothing had happened. Nothing at all had happened. Nana suffered a lot for no reason. One should ignore such things. But because of social media, everybody has their own opinion, and there is no cure for this,” he added.
Tanushree Dutta’s allegations
The controversy dates back to 2008, when Dutta accused Patekar of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour on the sets of Horn Ok Pleassss. She alleged that he touched her inappropriately while they were filming a song sequence in March that year. She also claimed that a mob attacked her car when she tried to leave the shooting location.
The allegations returned to the spotlight in September 2018 after Dutta discussed the incident in an interview. Her account helped trigger the #MeToo movement in India’s entertainment industry.
In October 2018, Dutta filed a first information report against Nana, Ganesh, Rakesh and Samee. Patekar denied the allegations. Mumbai Police filed a B-summary closure report in June 2019, citing insufficient evidence to support Dutta’s claims.
Controversy returns to public discussion
Following Patekar’s reported death, Dutta again spoke about the controversy and shared videos on social media. Her posts brought the allegations back into public discussion.
Patekar died on October 8, 2026, at the age of 75. He was taken to a hospital in Goa, where doctors attempted to revive him with cardiopulmonary resuscitation for about 45 minutes. His post-mortem report reportedly said that he died of a heart attack.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
