Actress Divya Khosla Kumar, who had collaborated with actor Pearl V Puri for the song Teri Aankhon Mein, took to Instagram to talk about what truly happened in this alleged rape case.
Sharing a picture of Anil Dhonde and his wife Ekta Sharma, who were the parents of the minor girl survivor, Divya started off by claiming that Anil had narrated this fake “plot” involving Pearl V Puri since he and his wife had been engaged in a custody battle over their daughter.
Divya wrote, “Let me introduce them to you... this man is Anil Donde and this woman is an actress, Ekta Sharma. Anil Donde is the man who has put the charge on Pearl V Puri that he molested his 5-year-old daughter on the sets of the serial, Bepanah Pyaar produced by Balaji Telefilms 2 years ago. Anil & Ekta have been undergoing a custody battle for their daughter... & since the last 2 years the daughter has been with Anil coz he has put a charge on Ekta claiming that since she is an actress & she took the daughter on her sets where the lead actor molested her, the daughter is unsafe with her own mother... I feel Anil Donde should be given the Filmfare best screenplay award for this plot (sic).”
Read the full post here:
Divya also explained why the police had not arrested Pearl immediately when the case was filed against him in 2019, and revealed that Pearl’s name had not been mentioned anywhere in the FIR. The actress added that it was only stated that the girl had been molested when she had been with her mother on the sets of Bepanah Pyaar, which starred Pearl.
She had written in the post: “Now the police have arrested Pearl… I want to know why the police did not arrest him in 2019 when this case was filed… The reason is that, in the FIR filed, it was mentioned that the child was molested when she was with the mother. Pearl’s name was nowhere in the FIR. (I’ve read the FIR myself when Pearl’s mother forwarded it to me yesterday when she called me for help) (sic).”
Divya also went on to make serious accusations of abduction and abuse against Anil, who was the girl’s father. She pointed out skeptically whether the child would be able to recognise her molester now at the young age of 7, when she had barely been five years old when the incident allegedly took place. She wrote in her post, “Please note, the child is 5 yrs old… 10 days later, the father abducted the child after school & filed a case of physical abuse. Still, neither the child nor the father mentioned Pearl’s name… fast forward to 2 yrs later today in 2021 when the child is now 7 yrs old – she recognises the accused. For a second, if we assume that such a thing happened with the poor baby… I want to know at such a tender age will the baby remember the person’s name & recognise him? (sic)”
Divya also revealed that Anil’s wife, Ekta Sharma had often said that her husband was “psychotic” and that he had physically and mentally abused her. She said, “Ekta Sharma in her calls with Ekta Kapoor clearly says that her husband is a psychotic person, who has mentally & physically abused her. She has got several proofs for the same; she clears the case by saying that Pearl is innocent & nothing like this happened on the sets (sic).”
Moving on to talk about how these “fake allegations” were a misuse of the MeToo movement, Divya said the child was being “played by her father,” and wondered whether Pearl will now get any more work in the industry following this blow to his reputation.
“What is extremely disturbing is that a movement like Me Too is so badly being misused... the poor child who is being mentally played with by her own father. It is a sad state of affairs for Pearl who had a bright future ahead of him. Even before starting his career properly, his reputation has got a big blow. Will anyone in the industry give him work (sic)?”
She concluded by asserting that she extended his support to him, and Pearl was a man with “good moral values.”
Divya wrote, “I’m supporting him is because I myself have worked with him and I’ve seen it at close quarters on how this young man respects women… There were women on the sets in all departments - costumes, choreography, assistants; even our director was a woman… Did anyone ever feel this guy is a pervert… NO… He’s a man with good moral values… May the truth win & may #PearlvPuri not lose his precious years in proving himself (sic).”
Pearl V Puri was arrested by the Mumbai police a few days ago and subjected to 14 days' judicial custody.