Mahesh Manjrekar has spoken about the Tanushree Dutta controversy involving his late friend Nana Patekar. He claims people who were on the film set told him nothing happened and that Patekar faced unfair punishment because of the allegations. The comments come weeks after Patekar’s death on October 8, 2026, and after Dutta’s social media posts brought the old case back into public discussion.
What Mahesh Manjrekar Said About the Controversy
Manjrekar made the comments in an interview with News18 Marathi. He said he personally knew everyone who was present on the sets of the 2008 film Horn Ok Pleassss and that they all told him the same thing.
“Everyone I knew on the sets had told me that nothing had happened. Nothing at all had happened. Nana suffered a lot for no reason. One should ignore such things. But because of social media, everybody has their own opinion, and there is no cure for this.”
He also questioned why the matter was being discussed again years later. Manjrekar said the issue was “highlighted for no reason” and that people should let old matters rest.
Manjrekar and Patekar worked together in the Marathi film Natsamrat. Their friendship went back decades. Manjrekar said he was not in India when Patekar died and regrets not meeting him one last time.
The 2008 Incident and the 2018 #MeToo Wave
The controversy dates back to March 2008. Dutta alleged that Patekar touched her inappropriately while they were shooting a song for Horn Ok Pleassss at Filmistan Studio in Mumbai. She claimed intimate dance steps were added to the choreography without her consent, making her uncomfortable. Dutta left the shoot midway in protest. Rakhi Sawant later replaced her in the song.
The allegations stayed largely out of the national spotlight until September 2018. Dutta revisited the incident in a series of interviews during the rise of India’s #MeToo movement. Her account became one of the most prominent stories linked to the movement in the Indian entertainment industry.
In October 2018, Dutta filed a first information report (FIR) at Oshiwara police station in Mumbai. The FIR named Nana Patekar, choreographer Ganesh Acharya, director Rakesh Sarang, and producer Samee Siddiqui. Patekar denied the allegations consistently until his death. He was 75 when he died of a cardiac arrest in Goa.
Nana Patekar’s Death and Tanushree Dutta’s Response
Nana Patekar died on October 8, 2026, at his residence in Dona Paula, Goa. Doctors at the hospital tried to revive him with CPR for around 45 minutes but could not save him. A postmortem report later confirmed that he died of a heart attack. He was four minutes away from one of Goa’s best hospitals, a detail Manjrekar also discussed in the interview.
After Patekar’s death, Tanushree Dutta shared a video on Instagram and spoke about the controversy again. In the video, she said she had heard the news but wanted to focus on a work event in Lucknow that day.
“Maine suna hai, I’ve heard the news. Today is my work day. I’m going to Lucknow for an event and I want to focus on that. What an odd day for all this to happen. I’m doing a very big event in Lucknow and I had my entire day planned out. I wanted to do lives, post content and now I’m worried that in the evening all the media is going to be interested in evil dead.”
Her remarks drew criticism on social media. Dutta later said the controversy had troubled her even after Patekar’s death, describing her life as “hell” since she first brought the allegations forward.
The Police Closure Report and Its Meaning
Mumbai Police filed a B-summary closure report in June 2019. The report stated there was insufficient evidence to support Dutta’s claims. A B-summary closure means the police found no evidence to send the case to trial but did not conclude that the complaint was false.
The legal outcome did not end the public debate. Patekar’s supporters, including Manjrekar, point to the closure report and the accounts of people on set. Dutta and her supporters argue that the closure report does not erase her experience or the broader conversation about workplace safety that her allegations started in 2018.
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Mahesh Manjrekar’s comments add a close friend’s voice to the lingering dispute. His claim that set witnesses told him “nothing happened” directly challenges the account Dutta has repeated for years. The reaction to his interview shows that the Tanushree Dutta–Nana Patekar case remains a subject people in India’s entertainment industry and audience still feel strongly about.
Also Read: Tanushree Dutta Calls Nana Patekar Death A Positive Development In Her Life, Visits Mahakal Temple
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