Production designer and Dhurandhar, and popular web series The Family Man star Saini S Johray accused of sexually harassing and assaulting. It has prompted an epidemic of social media chatter across entertainment about everything, and with it calls for openness in the investigation into everything that has happened.
Online allegations have emerged about Johray’s alleged unprofessional conduct, harassment and assault; several people are using social media to comment on him. Those accusations reportedly took place on the internet and in industry circles, and they have provoked intense public scrutiny.
And although the story is still in progress and we’re piecing together the specifics of the times of these types of acts and what precipitated each, the allegations triggered a wave of controversy in the film (and OTT) sector, including production and distribution. Johray’s connections to high-profile productions and industry titans have prompted some attention to the case.
Production designers make an outsize impact in building the visual tone and even identity of films and web series, and the allegations against such a high-profile name register especially loudly. Johray, until now, has not released the opening public statement outlining what the allegations are all about.
So too the makers or production teams behind Dhurandhar and The Family Man have said nothing in public, either. Events like this typically get internal reviews and discussions at production houses, particularly when claims go viral, industry observers write. Accusations of high-profile misconduct have cropped up in recent years, in the entertainment space in India and beyond, because of the MeToo movement in people’s minds.
Such instances have forced producers, studios and the performers themselves to step up by enforcing stricter rules governing behaviour in the workplace and ensuring the safety of their cast and of the performers who populate those bodies. Some of the social media users and the actors explained that the investigation was not that rigorous and that the complaining people did deserve to be heard, with attention given to the details.
Allegations of that type can be a major professional and legal blow when complaints or criminal cases are taken, legal experts say. The fallout from Saini S Johray again makes the problem of behaviour and accountability on the job quite interesting. Those critics at very high proportions also insist that the industry, if nothing else, has stronger complaint processes and protections for artists or producers who operate under the cover of films and digital production.
At the same time, there are fans of Dhurandhar and The Family Man listening to every story available about the issue. More news from the accused, the production houses or lawyers is certainly no way off in the immediate succeeding days as the public scrutiny is mounting even more. The allegations are only personal at present since no court has decided guilt. Action, if any, shall be given in the case of official complaints being submitted and an investigation by official bodies was conducted, and the official authorities, as stated in a complaint, decided.
