Payal Rohatgi accuses close pal Dibakar Banerjee of molesting her

Former Bigg Boss contestant Payal Rohatgi has levelled molestation charges against filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee, who made films such as Khosla Ka Ghosla and Love Sex Aur Dhokha.

Payal has claimed that Dibakar made unsavoury comments about her weight and insisted she lift her top to show him her belly because he wanted to “ check” how much weight she had put on. She claimed the incident happened at her home recently.

Incidentally, Payal’s allegation has come in the wake of reports suggesting she failed an audition for Dibakar’s upcoming film, Shanghai . Explaining Dibakar’s presence at her home, Payal claimed she had become a close friend of the filmmaker over the past few months and it was natural that he visited her.

“ That day at my place, what shocked me was his insistence that I lift my top to show him my belly. At first I thought he said it in jest. I soon realised he hadn’t,” she said.

Payal said she first interacted with Dibakar after sending him a text message requesting a professional meeting. As they became friends, Payal claimed, she also started seeking his advice on personal matters.

Dibakar has flatly declined the molestation charge. According to him, responding to several calls from Payal, he met her at the convention centre of a five- star hotel for the first time in March last year.

“ The meeting was strictly professional and Payal told me she wanted to do serious roles. I referred her to my casting director and she was called for an audition for Shanghai subsequently,” Dibakar said.

On the fateful incident where he allegedly asked to see her belly, Dibakar had a different story to tell. According to him, Payal said she was feeling low after the audition and she told him that she wanted to talk to him.

“ I was visiting a friend at a studio and she said she wanted to talk. I agreed to pick her up from her residence. I was there for less than five minutes. The talk of her weight cropped up much later once we had reached the studio. When the subject was discussed, there were several others present. I spoke professionally, saying that she would need to shed weight if she wanted the role.

There was no demand from anyone that she lift her top,” he said.