Two more women accuse Alok Nath of sexual misconduct

After filmmaker Vinta Nanda opened up about being assaulted by Alok Nath, two more women — actor Sandhya Mirdul and a female crew member of Hum Saath Saath Hain — have come forward to allege that the Indian actor sexually harassed them as well.

Sandhya Mridul, who is known for starring in films like Angry Indian Goddesses and Page 3, shared with HuffPost India, that she looked up to Alok Nath and worked with him on a telefilm during the start of her career: "Alok Nath was very impressed with me and called me 'God's own child' and openly praised me every day... I felt so fortunate happy and confident."

She revealed that he first made her uncomfortable during a dinner with other cast members: "At dinner he got progressively drunk and started insisting I sit with him and that I belonged to him and other stuff that I don't clearly remember but it made me very nervous and uncomfortable. My co-star realised what was happening and got me out of there."

She shared that Alok Nath later showed up at her hotel room door: "...I instinctively tried to shut the door but he pushed it and lunged at me, I stepped aside he went flying past me into the room .. I fell back toward the bathroom door he lunged at me again screaming I want you you're mine .. I dodged again he went into the bathroom and I think I latched the loo door and ran out of my room down the corridor into the lobby.

"Fortunately, my DoP was there making a call from the reception... He came back to my room what ensued was traumatic because a belligerent Alok Nath refused to leave.. kept screaming shouting threatening abusing trying to grab me.. but at some point we managed to make him leave. The hairdresser was called and made to sleep in my room I was so shaken up."

Mridul added that she had to shoot a scene with him in a few hours, in which she had to sit on his lap and cry. "I still feel nauseous when I think of it," she said.

According to her, Alok Nath's harassment continued for days with phone calls and knocks on her door and the hairdresser moved into her room permanently. Fed up of his harassment, she allowed his request to see her to apologise and he blamed his behaviour on his alcoholism and destroyed marriage. While she forgave him eventually, she said the "damage was done" as he told others in Mumbai that Sandhya was difficult to work with.

In addition to Mridul's story, a female crew member of Hum Saath Saath Hain has alleged that Alok Nath stripped in front of her: "We were shooting for a night scene and I had taken a change of costumes to him. Once I handed him the clothes, he started stripping in front of me. I was taken aback, and tried to make my way out of the room as soon as possible. When I tried to run out, he grabbed my hand and manhandled me. I remember yanking my hand out of his grip and rushing out of the room." She added that she never complained about his inappropriate behaviour because he was close to the director's family.