Bollywood actor Aamir Khan and his director wife Kiran Rao had backed out of co-producing the Gulshan Kumar biopic Mogul, after it was pointed out to them by actress Geetika Tyagi that the director of the film had been accused of attempted rape. Now, after Subhash Kapoor has exited Mogul, it seems Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao are back in the project.
Mumbai Mirror reports that Aamir Khan and T-Series Chairman Bhushan Kumar, the son of Gulshan Kumar, have had a few meetings to discuss Aamir's return to Mogul, after Subhash Kapoor is out of the film. In fact, Aamir Khan may even play the lead roleKumar.
"The script is close to Aamir and he wants to make the film. Bhushan and he have had a number of meetings since and decided to collaborate on Mogul again. The hunt is on for another director. They are also looking at finalising the cast so they can roll with the film, asap," Mumbai Mirror quoted a source as saying.
In the wake of the #MeToo movement in India, Geetika Tyagi reminded Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao on Twitter of the four-year-old case in which she was a survivor of an assault by Subhash Kapoor.
Taking swift action, Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao gave a joint statement on October 10 through Twitter, saying, "As creative people, we have been committed to foregrounding and finding solutions to social issues, and at Aamir Khan Productions we have always had a zero tolerance policy towards sexual misconduct and predatory behaviour of any kind. We strongly condemn any act of sexual harassment, and equally we condemn any and all false accusations in such cases." Read the full statement here:
— Aamir Khan (@aamir_khan) October 10, 2018
Geetika Tyagi immediately thanked Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao saying, "This is COMMENDABLE and this is the kind of support we want so that more and more women can come out. Thank you @aamir_khan thank you #KiranRao #TimesUp #MeTooMovement".
T-Series Chairman Bhushan Kumar himself had been accused by an anonymous person of asking for sexual favours. Bhushan Kumar denied the same through a statement that read:
"I am appalled and anguished to know that my name has been dragged in this metoo by some anonymous person(s). The allegations against me are bad on the face of it. I have enjoyed an impeccable reputation and have always maintained professionalism. The tweet has been used as a tool to defame me and malign my reputation. I have taken this allegation very seriously and lodging a complaint with the cyber cell of the Mumbai Police to track the mysterious people(s) whose twitter handles have disappeared within seconds of uploading the malicious tweet. I'll take all such actions as I will be legally advised."
Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao have not confirmed if they have returned to Mogul as co-producers and whether Aamir will play the lead.
