Bengali actress accusing director Arindam Sil of sexual misconduct opens up about the harrowing experience on set; Says, ‘I tried to convey my discomfort’

Well-known Tollywood director Arindam Sil has been the centre of attention since last week. The director has been accused of sexual misconduct on a film set by an actress in the Bengali entertainment industry. The actress claimed that she was subjected to sexual misconduct on the set of a project directed by Sil. She alleged that the director asked her to sit on his lap and kissed her on the cheek while posing to explain a shot.The complaint was filed with the state’s women’s commission. On Friday, Arindam Sil appeared before the Women’s Commission and issued an apology. On Saturday, Sil was suspended by DAEI. Not just that, an FIR has also been filed against the director at Bishnupur police station, South 24 Pargana.
The victim, the Bengali actress now has opened up about her harrowing experience on the set of Arindam Sil’s project where she was subjected to sexual misconduct. The actress revealed that the incident happened back in April this year. She claimed that Sil was trying to explain a particular scene when he asked her to sit on his lap and then kissed her on her cheeks. The actress added that the kiss was ultimately removed from that particular scene. Hence, she did not understand why Sil kissed her while explaining the scene. The actress also reasoned that there could not be any justification to planting a kiss driven by emotions in a professional setting. She asked, how someone could kiss someone ‘unintentionally’!
Arindam Sil tried to explain his stance asking why the actress did not come forward before. Addressing his question, the actress answered that she tried to convey her discomfort. However, she admitted that she did not want to make a scene on set. The actress added that despite her anticipation of not getting work in the industry, she wanted to do the right thing.

The actress went to the State Women’s Commission in June with the complaint of sexual misconduct against Arindam Sil. Sil was called in, in August. Last Friday, Sil appeared before the Women’s Commission and issued an apology. However, Sil maintained that he was explaining a scene to his actors on the sets of the film in the presence of a male actor, the DOP, a still photographer, his assistant director and other technicians. In his defence, the director added that, while showing the shot, his face and her cheek had accidentally brushed. According to Sil, the accidental act was unintentional. Not just that, Sil claimed that he had his costume assistant, his still photographer and the executive producer as witness to the incident.