19-year-old Dombivli-based model and Tamil actress Mahima Singh aka Priti who wasselected as one of the finalists at the Ms Maharashtra Online 2017 pageant, in a shockinginterview to IndiaScribes.com revealed that an award-winning Bollywood director who has won national awards for his films molested her and attempted to rape her in his office, where she had gone to meet him for an audition.
According to her own narration, “a casting director friend of mine told me that Mr X(name withheld by IndiaScribes.com) was casting for a new medium-budget Bollywood film. As I am interested in doing Bollywood films – Mahima Singh has signed on two Tamil projects to be produced by director Suneet Vohra of Tribhuvan Trilok Films – I sent him (casting director) my photographs and profile. After 2 or 3 days, I got a call from this casting director, who said that I was shortlisted by Mr X for a project and that he wanted to personally audition me in his office. My joy knew no bounds and I went to meet him on the appointed day at his Yari Road, Versova office. When I was in his office, he told me he wanted to see my figure and asked me to take my outer clothes off. I refused, as I was in my periods and I was not feeling very comfortable in that place. At that point in time, he came towards me and tried to kiss me. He then touched me inappropriately on different parts of my body, including my bust and behind. I managed to free myself from his clutches and rushed towards the door. He tried to follow me, but I opened the door and rushed out. Two male staff who were sitting in his office, looked and me and turned away, as though they were used to this spectacle. I ran out of his office and hailed an auto-rickshaw and rushed home. I was mentally and emotionally disturbed and did not speak to anyone for two days. Later on, I told my director-friend Suneet Vohra who asked me to narrate my story to the news website IndiaScribes.com,” said the beleaguered actress.
However, when IndiaScribes.com contacted the Bollywood director he denied all the allegations. I did not touch her at all. There are CCTV cameras installed in my office and cabin. It was made very clear to those coming for audition that the role required them to wear a bikini and that they would have to audition in a bikini or at least provide natural, unedited photographs in a bikini. The concerned girl came to my cabin totally unprepared. When she said she was not ready to pose in a bikini, I told her that we cannot consider her for the film as there were bikini scenes and the script and role which she was auditioning for required the actor to wear a bikini. If she was not comfortable with a bikini scene, she should not have come for the audition. We make films running into several crore. The films have to be sale able. Why would I want to cast a total newcomer if the project was not economically feasible, the director asked?
However, Mahima Singh has denied all these rebuttals and said the director was only trying to save his skin. “He touched my breasts and pinched my bottom and tried to put his hand inside my pants. This is a clear case of molestation and attempted rape. I am not filing a police complaint right now as I have my MBA exams next week and my parents have strictly told me not go for any auditions alone.
Mahima was selected for the Miss Maharashtra Online 2017, after she bagged the maximum number of votes in the online voting category which includes votes, shares, LIKES and comments posted by friends and fans on Facebook.
Two other models - one from Pune Sheila Jain and another from Aurangabad Simran Basu were selected as the second and third runners up respectively, according to theorganisers of the event - Mistletoe Entertainment.
According to an interview with news portal, IndiaScribes.com, Mahima is keen on taking up acting as a career and has decided to join a professional acting course very soon. Speaking to IndiaScribes.com from Dombivli, Mahima said, "I want to pursue a career in acting. Acting has always been my dream.
Mahima who has been modeling since the age of 16, has done several print catalogshoots and other local films over the last 3 years. The pageant Ms Maharashtra Online 2017 is organised by Rainbow TeleFilms India. Mahima was also voted the selfie queen in a sub-contest.