After being accused of rape by writer Vinita Nanda, actor Alok Nath has allegedly said that he neither confirms nor denies the charges. In an unverified statement, the actor is quoted as saying, “Neither I am denying this nor do I would agree with it. It (rape) must have happened, but someone else would have done it. Well, I do not want to talk much about it as for the matter if it has come out, it will be stretched... We only have to hear to women’s stand because they are considered weak.”
And Vinita is not amused by his seemingly flippant response. “No regret, so sorry. Just a sexist smirk is all that he has provided. If he had apologized I’d have considered moving on. But now I am willing to see this through to its logical end,” she says, with renewed determination.
The enraged writer adds, “What else can we expect from him? He shows no remorse for what he did because that’s the way he is. You can’t change him. I am so glad to have finally been heard. It (the hurt and pain) has been with me for 19 years. Now I feel free.”
Vinta also says that Alok’s misconduct during the time they worked together was no secret. “He misbehaved not just with me, but also with the leading lady of Tara—Navneet Nishan. It came to a point where we had to sack him. But as fate would have it, he found his way back into my professional life when he was signed to play the lead role in another serial written by me.”
When the lewdness and unprofessionalism got too much to bear, Vinita even voiced her concerns to Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi, the head honcho of Zee Television, but her assailant remained unscathed. “He (Dr Dwivedi) asked me to leave the show and the country. When I refused, he asked his staff members to push me out of the room. At that point, I left. The point is, men like Alok Nath feel empowered to misbehave with women because they have the tacit backing of powerful peers. I am hoping that changes now,” she says.
Vinita reveals that she is considering initiating legal action against Nath. “I am consulting with my legal team. Taking the legal route seems the best possible option. When I spoke about the rape, I never expected such an overwhelming response. Now, I feel confident. I haven’t felt this good in a long time. You can’t stifle my voice any longer,” she says, adding, “He (Alok Nath) claims he made my career. How did he do that, I wonder? He did try his best to un-make it though.”
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time that Vinita has spoken publically about the alleged rape. A few years ago, she mentioned it in a magazine interview. “But it didn’t get much attention then. Perhaps the time for action against sexual offenders has come now,” she says.
