LAHORE-Iranian actor Elnaaz Norouzi, who was last seen in Pakistani film Maan Jao Naa and as Ganesh Gaitonde’s girlfriend in Sacred Games, has accused director Vipul Amrutlal Shah of sexual harassment.

The actor recounted her grueling experience to Mid-Day. She described her interactions with Vipul Shah and alleged that he always tried to touch and kiss her on various occasions.

Speaking about the incident, Elnaaz said, “Basically, I went through six rounds of auditions for the film, and he made me feel like the planet’s worst actor. My confidence was shattered. I kept feeling like I was auditioning, and not cracking the part. It was only later I realised that this was his way of calling me to his office, over and over again, to get closer to me.”

“The next time we met at his office, he tried to kiss me. I backed off and said, ‘What are you doing? We are in your office!’ I pushed him away, being affirmative but careful enough not to come across as rude, because I really wanted the film,” she explained.

“He kept asking me to skip the offer. He still had not signed a contract with me for Namaste England. I was mentally tortured for three months. It was evident that if I slept with Vipul, I would get the part. Every time I went to his office, he tried to flirt with me. He would inappropriately touch me, and try to kiss me,” she added.

“The only reason I am sharing this is because I want these kinds of disgusting people to stop misusing their power. There are many like Vipul. There shall be more stories, if we see that things don’t change,” she concluded.