'I can only hope that a due official inquiry is conducted': Dia Mirza 'distressed' about her 'Sanju' director Rajkumar Hirani's sexual misconduct row

Bollywood's #MeToo movement that started with Tanushree Dutta's accusations against veteran Bollywood actor Nana Patekar took the industry by storm last year. Several women from the industry came out and identified their sexual predators and names of a number of A-listers from Bollywood were dragged into the controversy. Adding to the list of shocking revelations, renowned Bollywood director Rajkumar Hirani has been accused of sexual misconduct by a woman who worked with him during the making of his last film 'Sanju', according to a report in the website Huffington Post.

The news has caused another massive stir within the industry as Hirani, who has directed several award-winning films, has been known for his humble nature and a clean record.  In the wake of the sexual misconduct row against the filmmaker, actress Dia Mirza, who featured in his 'Sanju', expressed her views on the incident and said she is shocked to hear the news.

READ: Shocked Mukesh Bhatt Says Sexual Assault Allegations Against Rajkumar Hirani Are "too Hard To Believe & Difficult To Digest"

As per media reports, the actress said that she is deeply distressed by the news as she has known the director for over 15 years. She further suggested that an official inquiry should be conducted on the same to dig out the truth. Describing Hirani as 'one of the most decent human beings she ever worked with' the actress further stated that it would be grossly unjust on her part to comment on the same without knowing the whole incident in detail.

As per reports, Hirani, who has made films such as 'Munna Bhai' series and 'PK', allegedly assaulted the woman on more than one occasion over a six-month period from March and September 2018. The woman detailed her accusations in an email in November to 'Sanju’s co-producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra, his wife and journalist Anupama Chopra, Hirani’s close associate and scriptwriter Abhijat Joshi and Shelly Chopra, who is Chopra’s sister and director of the upcoming film 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga'.

READ: It Is Unfortunate That A Lot Of Them Are My Colleagues: Emraan Hashmi On Rajkumar Hirani Being Accused In #MeToo Movement

However, Hirani's lawyer Anand Desai has denied all accusations against his client and issued a statement, calling the case “false and completely unjustified”. Meanwhile,  Rajkumar Hirani’s name has been dropped from the posters of upcoming film 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga'.