Actor Ajay Devgn brushed aside questions of actor Alok Nath’s inclusion in Akiv Ali’s upcoming, De De Pyar De, saying “the film was completed much before the allegations”. Nath was accused of sexual harassment by more than five women in 2018. The actor had been dismissed by the Cine and Television Actors’ Association (CINTAA) for a year.
Responding to a question regarding Nath’s inclusion in the cast at the press conference for the trailer launch on 2 April, Devgn said, “This is not the right platform to discuss this. All I want to say is this film was complete much before the allegations.”
Nath was recently granted bail by the Dindoshi sessions court in the case of alleged sexual assault against writer Vinta Nanda. Earlier, the actor had been accused by five women of sexual misbehaviour. The actor was also dismissed by the CINTAA and Federation of Western Indian Cine Workers (FWICE) imposed a six-month ban on the actor for ‘non co-operation’ in February this year.
Directed by Akiv Ali, the film revolves around Devgn’s character, a 50-year-old man falling in love with a 26-year-old woman. The film will be released on 17 May 2019.
Incidentally, Devgn celebrated his 50th birthday on 2 April, by cutting a cake at the trailer launch.
Speaking of the film, Devgn said, “De De Pyaar De is a fun love story. It is a fun film. I don’t even know if I have done this kind of film before. But I have had fun doing this film.”
The film also features Tabu, and Rakul Preet Singh in the lead roles opposite Devgn.