Amid the #MeToo storm, Kannada film director Guruprasad launched an indirect attack on actors Sangeetha Bhat and Sruthi Hariharan by referring to them as 'Vishakanyas' - young women used as assassins during the ancient times.
He questioned why they had opportunistically kept a secret, the fact that they were married, and revealed it only later. "Are they trying to prove their innocence to their husbands and in-laws?" Guruprasad sought to know.
Speaking at a media meet held for promoting the movie 'Kushka', Gurprasad said that he was aware of the allegations against him. "But I choose to remain silent. That does not mean that I don't know how to reply to the allegations. If we men begin speaking out, they will have to commit suicide. That makes me cautious," he said.
"While filming a bareback scene in the film 'Eradane Sala', my wife and daughter were right next to me. When I asked her (Sangeetha) to send photos, I know what kind of photos she sent. The photos are still with me. The film industry will be better off if some people exit. They claim that they are far from the industry now. Let them be well," Guruprasad said without naming Sangeetha.
"I am not pained by the allegations. If a person like Abdul Kalam tells me that the way I live is not right, it is like hitting me with a slipper. But when uncultured people accuse me, I don't bother about it. She is not the only one. I can take a girl from the street and turn her into a heroine," Guruprasad added.
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