Mumbai: Vikas Bahl has sent legal notices to his former Phanton Films partners Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, accusing them of defaming him, amid the sexual harassment allegations against the director. Last year, a woman employee at Phantom Films, which had Bahl as one of the partners along side Kashyap, Motwane and Madhu Mantena, had alleged that Bahl behaved inappropriately with her during a trip to Goa in 2015.
Before the victim's account went public in a recent Huffpost article, Kashyap and Motwane put out statements and announced that their production house Phantom Films stands dissolved. The notice, issued through Advocate Shamsher Garud, say the public comment made by Kashyap and Motwane were "opportunists" and out of "professional jealousy" with the intent to defame, malign and destroy Bahl's career.
"It is by design that after having remained silent about the alleged incident and alleged victim for three years, you have now come forward and support the alleged victim. It is imperative to highlight that the alleged victim herself has mentioned that your sudden moral enlightenment is nothing but a hoax and there is a personal agenda behind it," the notice read. In the notices, Bahl has asked for an "unconditional apology" and to withdraw "contradictory" statements made by Kashyap and Motwane on social media.
The Queen director said they were anyway discussing the dissolution of Phantom Films for the past few months because of creative and professional differences.