Tanushree Dutta lashes out at director Urvashi

Mar 17, 2008

Mumbai, March 18 (IANS) Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta, who has been in the news for her ugly spat with director Shona Urvashi while shooting "Saas, Bahu, Sensex" in Pune, refuses to forget "the experience".

"I've taken enough rubbish from them all because my producers Warner Brothers are really cool. But Shona Urvashi has been a nightmare. I wouldn't even want to go there again. But she has been calling up the media, telling them I'm on drugs and that I am another Parveen Babi.

"Another Parveen? This is my 13th film. Please check with my directors and producers if I've ever been erratic in my behaviour. I think these people need to check their own mental balance," she said.

Tanushree goes back to the beginning of her stint in Pune. "I signed this film without knowing what I was in for. At first, things seemed okay. Shona was the producer and her sister Masume was also part of the cast (though it's another matter that there seems to be some kind of stress between the sisters). I've the main role. Their mother is the producer and father looks after the production. So it was all a family affair.

"I was the outsider. I kept my distance. But may be they didn't like the fact that I didn't party with them after work. But if I've an early morning shoot, I'd rather sleep and be fresh," Tanushree said.

Whatever the reason for their rancour, hell broke loose Feb 14.

"Shona harassed me continuously throughout the day. She'd pick on me for no reason. At first I laughed it off, thinking they were making a fool of me. But then I realised they were serious. I was made to say the same line for hours on-end. I wasn't allowed to go back to my van between shots.

"For 15 hours non-stop, they made me shoot, taunting, jeering and harassing me. The lights and air-conditioning in my van were switched off. It was a nightmare. They couldn't wait to have me back on the sets the next morning for a dose of the same treatment," the actress recalled.

Tanushree left Pune and refused to go back till the producers accompanied her.

"I reluctantly went back and shot Feb 19-20. But it was bad. The producers saw how bad it was and blasted the team wondering how an actress could work under such stressful circumstances. Shona insisted that she needed me for 10-12 days. The producers decided four days were enough. I went on the sets at the given time, tried to do my work and left."

Now there're just four days of work left and Tanushree wonders how she will go through it.

"It's a fantastic script but it was the worst experience of my career. Now I wonder if they were doing all for publicity. Shona Urvashi has directed one film before and may be she needed to get noticed. But this is not the way to go about it."