When Harvey Weinstein visited Mumbai to check out Bollywood

By Subhash K. Jha

Mumbai, Nov 4 (IANS) Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who has been accused of sexual misconduct, was "secretly" here back in 2003 for possible tie-ups with Bollywood filmmakers.

One prominent and successful filmmaker recalls meeting Weinstein for a long meeting here.

"He was secretly in Mumbai in 2003 for a round of meetings with prominent Bollywood filmmakers for possible tie-ups. I met him at the JW Marriott over lunch. His lunch. He slurped and slobbered over a plate of pasta, not offering me or my female colleague even a cup of coffee, while holding forth on how huge he was in the global entertainment business. Truly obnoxious.

"I left the meeting vowing never to work with him even if I had to sell pao-bhaji on the pavement," said the filmmaker.

Weinstein has his fair share of friends in Mumbai, among them are said to be filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and actor-producer Uday Chopra. In fact in 2014, Yash Chopra's younger son had actively collaborated with Weinsten for a biopic "Grace Of Monaco", starring Nicole Kidman.

Other actors who have in recent years made some name in Hollywood and the West have at some point or the other socialised with Weinstein.

"You can't be working in the American entertainment industry and not run into him. So yeah, I met a number of times. But hey, don't bring up my name with him," says an actor known for his squeaky-clean jovial youthful family image and success in India and abroad.