by Subhash K Jha

A fracas between filmmaker Akbar Khan's wife and a TV channel journalist who had gone to cover an apparent income tax inspection at the director's house here last week has led to both filing police complaints against each other.

Both Star News and Akbar Khan, the director of "Taj mahal", have their own versions of the incident that took place last Wednesday and hogged media limelight.

According to CEO & Editor Star News Uday Shankar, Akbar Khan and his wife were excessively aggressive on Wednesday night when a Star News reporter Upendra Rai went to the Khans' residence to report a TDS income-tax raid.

Says Uday Shankar, "In my career as a news person I've never intentionally been unfair to any individual. We were a little hasty in dismissing Mr Khan's film Taj Mahal. You'd be surprised at how seriously I took that complaint. Now when one of my boys Upendra Rai who's just a kid from Bihar learning the ropes of the job, is roughed up I'm a bound to be answerable to my entire team..."

"What happened was that Upendra landed up at Akbar Khans' residence to cover the raid like many other channels. Mr Khan wasn't home. Only Mrs Khan was. Upendra finished his job and was doing his wrap-up comments in the compound of the Khans' building when Mrs Khan arrived and challenged Upendra's presence in the premise."

"Now I admit my correspondent might have answered back a little strongly. After all, he was only doing his job. But when Mrs Khan snatched his camera and asked him to apologise in writing he refused to do so. New to the job, he panicked and tried to call his colleagues at the Star News. He finally got through to a junior staffer who raised an alarm."

"It was 3.30 am. By now Mr Khan had returned to his home with some of his friends—drunk, though that's entirely his business. ...My boy was totally traumatized...Though pressure has been put on me through Mahesh Bhatt, Majid Memon and the Star boss Peter Mukherjee I must say Mr Khan isn't getting the point."

"I run Star News. And I won't be intimidated. He has filed a police complaint. I wouldn't like this to turn into a criminal case. In that case we as a channel would lose control over the proceedings. I'd very much like to sort out this matter as soon as possible."

Akbar Khan has another story to tell.

"Sort out the matter? After the lies that they've told on the channel non-stop? They've said it was an incometax raid in my house when it was a routine TDS inspection. They've said I'm a mad man who's lost his sanity because my 70-crore film has flopped. Do they realize how they've hampered my overseas business?"

"Taj Mahal hasn't been released in several centres. By tarnishing my image and calling me insane they've humiliated me and brought down my name. I was at my nephew Fardeen's mehndi ceremony at the J.W Mariott which has a common wall to my house. That day my son was ill."

"My wife couldn't come from the mehndi ceremony. She was strolling in the garden and saw some people with cameras who had come to video-graph an income-tax raid in my house. No such raid had happened. My wife had no idea what these people were up to."

"When she questioned them they had the audacity to twist my wife's hand, and push her by her shoulder. She lost her balance. She screamed for help. She used the most polite language. Everything is on camera. At this juncture I decide to walk back home. What do I see? My wife surrounded by two men."

"When I asked what was going on my servant said, 'Iss aadmi ne Madame ka haath pakad ke ghuma diya.' I did what any man would do. I slapped this journalist (Upendra Rai) and said, 'Who the hell are you?' I asked him how he dared to trespass in my premises. I sent for the police. The reporter was frantically calling his colleagues."

"I asked him, 'Tum rozi-roti ke liye iss hadd takjaate ho?' That's all. But he was creating a drama for his camera that was still on. I took away the video cassette from the camera. The cops arrived. I was to accompany them. I went in to change. When I came out the correspondent was surrounded by his colleagues. My wife was taken to the hospital. Two of her fingers were seriously raptured. I went to the police station with my brother to lodge a complaint."

"By the time I got there the correspondent had lodged a complaint against me! I deposited the confiscated tape at the station.They insisted on making copy. In thirty-five years of my career in films I've never raised a finger at anyone. I've been given the utmost respect. .. Since 7 a.m on Thursday the bulletins have made me sound like a villain."

" They've doctored the tape and played it making me look like a criminal. It was all so lopsided and cooked up, I held a press conference on Thursday. The electronic media is being very very unfair to me. I've appointed my lawyer."

"This man (Upendra Rai) has to be arrested for trespass and assault. They assaulted my wife when all she was doing was asking for a written apology. Peter Mukherjee of Star is a friend. He hasn't called or asked me to explain my viewpoint. They just went on the whole day assassinating my character. Is this fair?"