Chennai Express producer Karim Morani accused of rape

An aspiring actress from Delhi has shared her account of the rape and subsequent blackmail and abuse she was subjected to at the hands of Bolly producer, Karim Morani.

The woman alleged that Morani (the man behind Chennai Express, Ra.One, Happy New Year) drugged, raped and threatened her.

“Morani came home around 7pm with a bottle of wine. I didn’t drink but he forced me to drink. Next thing I know, I wake up at 4 am. I was numb and shocked. Physically and mentally, I was in a state of shock. Karim was not there. I saw there were marks on my body when I woke up,” says the woman, who was 21 at the time.

She knew the Morani family and had moved to Mumbai in 2014 to pursue an acting career in films.

She also shared that once she called and confronted him, Morani only laughed. The woman felt trapped, powerless and terrified when Morani began to stalk her. If she told anyone, he told her he would come after her.

“Morani told me he clicked my pictures. He said if you try and call anyone, I’ll get you killed by the underworld. Morani was linked to the underworld. He called me again in October 2015. He wanted me to go to Ramoji City. He would blackmail me saying he’d get me eliminated by the underworld. I don’t doubt that he’s influential. I’ve seen it that he’s influential and I know he could have eliminated me,” said the woman, alleging Morani continued to sexually abuse her, using her pictures as a ploy.

The woman weathered excruciating threats and filed a complaint in Hyderabad in January 2017. The police had registered a case against Morani for rape, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation, cohabitation caused by a man deceitfully inducing a belief of lawful marriage, and cheating; the producer is out on bail at present while a court case is ongoing.

“He’s over 60 and I'm younger than his youngest daughter. He spoilt my life, my dream. He crushed me. I continue to face threats. Till date when he comes to court, he stares me down and intimidates me,” she said.

The producer is also a close friend of SRK's; the woman also questioned how the actor could work with a predator.

"I don’t want to drag SRK into this but how can such an icon work with him and support a man like this. Nobody spoke out about me or backed me up. How can top actors like SRK work with him?” she said.