Sajid Khan steps down as Housefull 4 director; Akshay Kumar urges film's producers to cancel shoot

Sajid Khan has stepped down as the director of Housefull 4, as revealed by a tweet the director shared.

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— Sajid Khan (@SimplySajidK) October 12, 2018

Akshay Kumar also recently tweeted his decision to cancel any further shoots of Housefull 4 until further investigation, following sexual harassment allegations against director Sajid Khan by three women.

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— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) October 12, 2018

In an extensive Medium blog post dated 11 October 2018 , actor Saloni Chopra has detailed harassment she underwent while working with Sajid Khan. Journalist Karishma Upadhyay — who is also a contributing columnist at Firstpost — also accused Khan of having sexually harassed her.

A third allegation against Khan was made by actress Rachel White, in a  series of tweets  on Thursday evening.

Also read:  Sajid Khan accused of sexual harassment in three #MeToo allegations; actor Zain Durrani also named

Meanwhile, Twinkle Khanna, who has been known to take a strong standpoint on feminist issues, also recently tweeted on the matter, urging all those who are working in the upcoming Sajid Khan film, Housefull 4 , to speak up and take a “firm stance”.

Appalled hearing multiple incidents of harassment and it is truly horrific to hear what these women have been through. Everyone involved in Housefull needs to take a firm stance on this issue. This cannot go on.

— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) October 12, 2018

Following actress Tanushree Dutta ’s allegations against Nana Patekar  of sexual harassment and aggressive behaviour on the sets of 2008 film Horn OK Pleassss, many well known personalities have come out in support of Tanushree. Her statement brought a flurry of similar claims by actresses and media personalities who voiced their #MeToo accounts.

Noted artistes like Alok Nath, Vairamuthu, Vikas Bahl, Chetan Bhagat and others have been named. Twinkle had voiced her support of Tanushree earlier, when she tagged Janice Sequeira’s Twitter thread (corroborating Dutta’s claims), stating that more people should read it, as a safe working environment for women was a fundamental right.

Please read this thread before judging or shaming #TanushreeDutta a working environment without harassment and intimidation is a fundamental right and by speaking up this brave woman helps pave the way towards that very goal for all of us! https://t.co/f8Nj9YWRvE

— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) September 28, 2018

Network 18, of which Firstpost is a part, has received complaints of sexual harassment as well. The complaints which are within the purview of the workplace have been forwarded to our PoSH committee for appropriate action.