Rumours are that former 'Balika Vadhu' actress Pratyusha Banerjee has sought help from cops against her 'abusive' boyfriend to gain publicity before her stint in 'Bigg Boss 7'

In an industry that constantly thrives on publicity gimmicks to gain maximum eyeballs, this one seems to have hit a new low. On Wednesday, TV actor Pratyusha Banerjee, best known for her portrayal of Anandi in Balika Vadhu, filed a complaint against her ex beau Makrand Malhotra at the Oshiwara police station.


Pratyusha Banerjee The actor has accused Makrand, a city-based businessman, of misbehaving with her and her father. But what's interesting is that there is buzz among certain sections of the television industry that Pratyusha has done so to get maximum media coverage in the run-up to her entry into the Bigg Boss house next week.


Pratyusha Banerjee and Makrand Malhotra In his defense, Makrand alleges that Pratyusha has moved on from their relationship and is rumoured to be dating another guy. The entrepreneur cites his former girlfriend's apparently straying ways for their recent break-up after their two-year romance. Makrand also says that while they were in a relationship, the actress allegedly even went on a date with Mithun Chakraborty's son, Mahaakshay, a claim vehemently denied by a close friend of Pratyusha.

A source says, `Pratyusha is egoistic. She fought with Mak over another guy. He got angry and confronted her and that is when all the drama started. It seems she is taking it a notch higher to create controversy before entering the Bigg Boss house.`

A seemingly distraught Makrand tells us, `I tried to reason with her and her father but they pushed me and abused me. Our mothers spoke to each other and it was decided I would not go to their home again. But around 2.30 am I got a summon from the police.`

Though the source close to the actress maintains it was a well-planned move to raise eyebrows with her 'antics', Makrand feels it is just to satisfy her ego.

In an earlier interview, Pratyusha had been quoted saying she was `quite short-tempered` and that her boyfriend was `nice at heart`. Currently, an NC has been registered against him where Pratyusha has levelled charges against him for abusing and harassing her.

While we have witnessed many regular tiffs in the industry ending up snowballing into something larger, involving the police for allegedly selfish gains is definitely a case of crossing the thin line between publicity gimmicks and playing with fire.


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