Amid TMKOC row, accused Sohil Ramani hits back at Jennifer Mistry: If she had so many issues, why did she come back in 2016

In her latest FIR, Tarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashmah actor Jennifer Mistry has named producer Asit Modi, show runner and operations head, Sohil Ramani and executive producer Jatin Bajaj, as she levelled charges of sexual harassment, use of criminal force on any woman with intention to outrage and insulting modesty of a woman. Now, Ramani hits back at Mistry saying she has resorted to lying and baseless questions.

He tells us, “If Jennifer had so many problems with the show and the producer, why did she come back and join us in 2016. Nobody had forced her. Why did she message Asit bhai ki, ‘Main sudhar gayi hoon, sir mujhe ek mauka do’. So, I am unable to understand her issues.”

Ramani further adds he can’t wrap his head around the fact that Mistry, who was once a friend, has dragged his name, too. “I don’t understand what grudge she holds against me. I was only doing my job. As part of the company protocol, I did what I had to when she left the set for personal reasons without informing. She even misbehaved. If you work for a company, there are certain rules that you need to follow,. If you’ll come late or do things that affect smooth functioning, the production team will speak out,” he explains, adding, “Humne toh daanta bhi nahi. Sirf pyaar se samjhaaya tha. Jab repetitive hone laga, toh humne daanta. So, all this is nothing but a publicity stunt.”

Ramani also supports Modi’s statement that he’d take legal actions against Mistry’s complaint, adds that he himself has several proofs, which he can produce when needed. “I’ve already told everything to the police in my statement recorded around 15 days ago. From CCTV footage to screenshots of her messages to the producers, we have all the proofs to support our claims, which I’ll show if I’m called again,” he says, adding that nobody has reached out to the producers after the latest FIR filed by Mistry.

However, Ramani refrains from sharing the screenshots or any other proofs with us, reasoning it would create unnecessary negativity around the show. “A hundred people are earning their bread because of this show, and I don’t want them to suffer because of the lies Jennifer has been saying,” he says, addressing the allegation where Mistry has claimed that female actors were made to wait for hours on the set, even when there was no scene.

“It’s baseless. Everyone was called considering the amount of time they’d take for makeup and to get ready. Apart from that, we cannot ignore that there are lot of complications with shooting. It might get delayed because of unavoidable reasons like rain. Having said that, why doesn’t she talk about those incidents where we called her for the day, but pack up ho gaya and we had to let her go? I have records of when the actors come and go and those records don’t lie,” he elaborates.

JENNIFER MISTRY REACTS

When we reached out to Mistry for a response on Ramani’s statements, she admits she had no issues with the production unit at the time of rejoining the show. “There were a few things that happened here and there and when I tried to raise my voice against it, mujhe chup kara dia gaya. Other than that, the only issue I faced was in january 2013, when they called me back four day after my father’s death. But that was all. Problems started after October 2018 and that incident of Asit sexually harassing me was around March 2019. I have phone call recordings of Sohil harassing me, shouting at me and misbehaving,” she tells us.