Swara Bhasker has recalled an unsettling experience she says she faced shortly after the success of Tanu Weds Manu (2011), describing an incident involving a director who allegedly came to her room late at night while drunk and asked her for a hug.
The actor shared the account while speaking to Priyanka Chahar Chaudhary and Tej Pratap Yadav on Rise and Fall Season 2. According to Bhasker, the incident happened during the making of what she described as her “big lead film” following Tanu Weds Manu.
She said the project required around 56 days of shooting and that the director’s behaviour had already made her uncomfortable before the late-night incident.
Swara Bhasker Says Director Began Sending Her Poetry
Recalling the early interactions, Bhasker said the director told her that directors needed to have affection for their actors.
She said he subsequently began sending her poetry focused on her appearance.
“This was just after Tanu Weds Manu, my big lead film. It was a film that I was the heroine of, and we had to shoot for 56 days. First, he told me that directors must love their actors. Then he started texting me poetry about my looks. I was polite about it.”
Bhasker said she initially responded politely despite finding the messages unusual.
However, she described the situation as becoming more uncomfortable when the pair were expected to rehearse a romantic scene.
She Questioned Why the Romantic Scene Had to Be Rehearsed Alone
According to Bhasker’s account, the director suggested that they discuss the romantic sequence privately.
She said she questioned why the rehearsal could not take place with the rest of the relevant crew present.
“I said, ‘Who all are there for the rehearsal?’ He said, ‘You and me, we’ll discuss.’ I said, ‘No. You called the actor, you called the camera person. If it is a rehearsal, everyone should do it. Why should we do it alone?’”
Her response, as she recalled it, was based on wanting the rehearsal to involve the appropriate members of the filmmaking team rather than taking place privately between the actor and director.
Swara Bhasker Recalls a Late-Night Visit
Bhasker went on to describe a separate incident that she said occurred later, when the director allegedly arrived at her room late at night after drinking.
According to her account, he knocked on her door and asked her for a hug.
The actor described the episode as unsettling, particularly in the context of the earlier interactions she had already experienced during the project.
The account was shared by Bhasker herself during the Rise and Fall Season 2 conversation. The supplied account does not identify the director by name, and no response from the individual was included.
The Experience Came After Tanu Weds Manu
Bhasker’s recollection places the incident during a period when her career was gaining visibility following Tanu Weds Manu.
The 2011 film, in which she played Payal, was an important early title in her acting career. She subsequently became known for taking on varied roles across Hindi films and other projects.
In describing the experience on Rise and Fall Season 2, however, Bhasker focused less on her career trajectory and more on the boundaries she attempted to maintain while working on the film.
Her decision to insist that the romantic-scene rehearsal include the relevant crew was presented as part of that effort.
What Swara Bhasker’s Account Highlights
The episode, as recalled by Bhasker, raises questions about professional boundaries between actors and directors, particularly during intimate or romantic scenes.
Her comments also underline why actors may prefer rehearsals involving the relevant crew rather than private meetings when intimate material is involved.
It is important to distinguish Bhasker’s personal recollection from independently established facts. The incident and the director’s conduct described here are claims made by Bhasker during the television conversation; the director has not been identified in the supplied material, and no response from him is included.
Bhasker’s account has now drawn attention because of the personal nature of the experience she chose to recount years after the period in which she says it occurred.
