Popular TV host Nadia Khan has said that her 14-year-old daughter was physically assaulted during an audition in Dubai.
According to a report in Gulf News, the auditions were taking place at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in JBR on May 20. The casting event was held by a company that represents some of the biggest music and television shows in the US.
In an interview with Gulf News, she shared, "My daughter wanted to audition for this Disney thing happening here in Dubai. She was given two lines to read. When she said her lines, this person grabbed her from the shoulders and pulled her. It happened so quickly. He said his line. Before he also said lines but he didn't touch anyone. He grabbed her very, very roughly. I couldn't watch very clearly. I couldn't understand what was happening. And then he pushed her and my daughter fell on a parent."
Upon being asked if the aggression was part of the scene for which her daughter auditioned, she replied, "Of course not. The lines were totally different [from that context]. They were two children talking. Nowhere do the lines suggest that this could happen."
Also read: I learned 8 self-defence moves to help you protect yourself from assault
The aggressive behaviour continued after the incident with Nadia Khan's daughter, she said.
"The next boy [who came up], the man started slapping him, once, twice, thrice... and then that boy slapped this man back. The slapping went on and on till that boy grabbed the man's hand. Even that boy was shattered. I could see tears in his eyes. Even that upset me a lot because I'm a mother. It happens to a boy or a girl, abuse is abuse. Nobody, no agent had the right to touch a child."
"My daughter went to the bathroom. She didn't come out for some time. when she came out, she was crying. She was in pain, there were bruises on her arm."
Nadia went on to say that when she tried to raise the issue with the organisers, she was rudely asked to leave. According to Gulf News, Nadia called the police at the venue and the company’s CEO was held for questioning, causing the auditions to come to an end.
Gulf News also adds that Nadia claims that she took her daughter to Dubai’s Rashid Hospital where a medical report concluded that the multiple bruises on both arms were caused by assault.
We have reached out to Nadia Khan and await a response.
Comments