Exclusive: A TV show director hit me on my head for receiving a phone call during the shoot, Marathi actress Mrunalini Jambhale recalls facing mental torture on the set

Many incidents of facing mental torture and harassment on the sets of TV shows have been on the rise for quite a few years now. Actresses have already been victims of such harassment and, they are now fiercely opening up about the same. One such victim, a prominent Marathi TV actress, Mrunalini Jambhale, revealed shocking incidents that happened with her a few years ago. In an exclusive conversation with ETimes TV, Mrunalini revealed how she was harassed by the director of the show, and why she feels that TV show makers still take advantage of newcomers.

- Interview by Vaishnavi Gavankar

Talking about facing mental torture on the set of a TV show Mrunalini said, "I was a part of a TV show a few years ago. It is not like I want to recall those memories or incidents now, but I think as actors like Annapurna Tai and Swati Bhadave have shared their sides and spoke openly about this then why not me? Even though these shocking incidents happened to me a few years back, it does not mean that I have forgotten them. Whenever an actor faces harassment or reveals them, I still remember everything that had happened with me.

Sharing an incident, Mrunalini recalled, "I was a doing a TV show and the director would always torture me on the set. He was an assistant but later he became the director and, that's why I think he got a very unpleasant attitude. He would comment on my hair and my language. There were a few dialogues in English, and as I am not well versed in English, he would start demeaning me on set. Even after I told him that I am not very fluent in English, he continued to disrespect and demean me."

Talking about the shocking incidents which is a nightmare for Mrunalini, she said, "We were shooting for a scene and lights and everything were getting placed. The crew was setting lights. Usually, I never pick up phone calls amidst shoots but that day, I felt like answering the call. He screamed at me from behind and asked me to keep my phone down. Later, he came close to me and hit me on my head. Nobody intervened except for a few senior actors who supported me. That incident provoked me and I got into a verbal brawl with him. I am not saying that I am a great actor but the crew should treat every actor with dignity."

Mrunalini further said that she took the right action against the director and filed a complaint against him. Mrunalini also said that she did not leave the show but asked the director to leave. She said, "I am not like Annapurna Tai, who would leave the show midway after facing such treatment from the directors. I filed a complaint against the show's director to the police and Mahila Aayog at that time. The show makers later threw him out and I was still there because many witnesses confirmed how he was making me the victim on the sets."

I feel this is something that should stop now. This incident had happened to me a few years ago but still, actors like Swati Bhadave and Annapurna Ji faced such situations. A very few know that directors and producers target newcomers and take undue benefit of them. The newcomers also do not open up about such things because they feel they might lose work opportunities later. I also could not open about this incident earlier but now I gathered my courage and decided to speak about it. Everyone should do that.

- Interview by Vaishnavi Gavankar