EXCLUSIVE: John Abraham refuses to work with #MeToo accused Sajid Khan; here’s why

Last year, after the Me Too movement gained momentum in Bollywood, several big names were outed in the process. From directors like Vikas Bahl and Sajid Khan to actors like Nana Patekar, etc were publicly shamed on social media. In fact, right after the charges, directors like Sajid Khan were even banned for a year.

Although none of the other actors received any severe punishment, given that the Indian law couldn’t find evidences against the perpetrators, it was Sajid who had not one but at least five women reminiscing and sharing their horror stories. Sajid was immediately removed from ‘Housefull 4’ which he was shooting for at that point. Since then, ‘HF4’ has been taken over by Farhad Samji who also completed the comedy sequel. The film is slated to release on Diwali this year.

But Sajid, on the other hand, began work on another action comedy. A source tells us, “Sajid went into major depression and has been living a life of seclusion ever since. His mom used to stay with him but after the news broke out, she also moved in with sister Farah Khan. Everyone in the family has tried talking to him but to no avail. He has completely cut himself off from the goings on. Meanwhile, he has been writing a script with his team, which is another masala action with a lot of comedy in it. The script is ready but he cannot start work on it before the ban is lifted.”

For the same film, he had approached John Abraham. “Akshay Kumar has made it very evident that he won’t work with anyone named in the Me Too movement hence he stuck to his words. This time, not Akki but Sajid knocked John Abraham’s door instead. John and Sajid go a long way and they are in fact very good friends. John heard the script and was ready to do it as well. In fact, he was even ready to co-produce and finance it since he feels the script has potential to earn big bucks.”

But this was a month back. Now, John too has refused to be part of the film. The same source reasons, “The moment people in the industry got to know that John and Sajid are discussing a film, the Women’s Commision approached John and threatened him of dire consequences. The organisation that aims at women safety and empowerment was livid at how John paid no heed to the growing movement and immediately reprimanded him. Fearing that it could cause a huge dent to his image at this point, even John has copped out of the previous plan.”

Guess Sajid will find it difficult to get an actor this time around!

Also Read: John Abraham to star in #MeToo accused Sajid Khan’s next?