Singer Alisha Chinai has opened up once again about the sexual harassment case she filed against music composer Anu Malik in 1996 — a move that she says led to her being “shunned” by the industry at the time. The singer, who demanded Rs 26.60 lakh in compensation in her lawsuit, accused Malik of molestation, while the composer denied all allegations and counter-filed a Rs 2 crore defamation suit.Both cases were later settled through a compromise, and Alisha eventually returned to collaborate with Malik years later. In new conversations, she explains why she took a stand back then, why she forgave him later, and how her experience inspired women during the #MeToo movement.
Working together again after a decade
In 2003, Alisha and Malik reunited professionally for the film Ishq Vishk. The singer says the reconciliation happened after TIPS chairman Kumar Taurani urged her to let bygones be bygones.“I thought about it, and then I said, okay. The work was suffering because we gave a lot of hits together. And I have to say, after that he behaved very nicely, very politely till now,” she told Pinkvilla, adding that she believed he had changed.She also clarified that the incident she spoke about was “harassment, not assault,” emphasising the difference. “Let me also make myself very clear—whatever happened earlier, it was not assault in any way. It was harassment, and harassment is different. Assault is violent or forceful—I don’t think that ever happened with me. But when you’re in it, it’s very annoying. When someone is constantly being creepy while you’re working, you get mad. I had had enough. I couldn’t appease or humour someone just because we were working together. So I took a stand. And yes, it was very bold in those days,” she said.
‘Because I can’t be manipulated’
Speaking about her reputation for being “opinionated” or “difficult,” Alisha said the label was unfairly used against women who refused to be controlled.“Because they can’t manipulate you, they can’t fool you. And I’m too clever for that. I can see through the bullshit, and I’m like, no, I don’t need this, and I walk off. That’s what I normally do. If something isn’t ethical, I’m not happy with it at all.That’s why I’ve constantly had these backlashes for being “opinionated” or “difficult”, but I’m not difficult at all. It’s actually them who are very difficult. They don’t want to open up to new ways or have a sense of fair play where everybody shares the booty—you know, they can’t have the whole pie.Now things are changing, but in my time it was very hard. Of course I was a rebel. I voiced it. And I’m definitely not difficult—I just want the best. If I demand the best, that doesn’t make me difficult. At the end of the day, it’s my name there, so I have to make sure everything is right for me.They say “oh, she’s difficult”, “she’s crazy”, “she’s this, she’s that” because it’s the easiest thing to say. But I just can’t be manipulated or fooled anymore.“She added that while such honesty came with backlash, she was never bothered about losing work, since Bollywood playback was always a “parallel career” for her.“It didn’t matter. It was not my rozi-roti. I had my own albums, I had a backup. Film singing—Bollywood singing—was always a parallel career. It was not my main career. I’m more known for it because the songs became humongously famous because of the masses. Made in India gave me that. So no, I didn’t feel I lost out on anything.”
‘I was bold for my time, but it gave others courage’
Alisha said that when she first spoke up in the 90s, no one supported her. However, decades later, during the #MeToo movement in 2018 — when singers Sona Mohapatra and Shweta Pandit also accused Malik of inappropriate behaviour — many women approached her for support.“When I did it, nobody stood by me. Later everyone said, ‘Ma’am, please support us,’ and I wondered — where were you all these years?”Still, she supported them, saying women needed solidarity.She believes her stand helped younger women feel confident enough to speak out, “It’s always good to be supportive of women. I said yes, I will. My story is different. Every person’s experience is different. A lot of girls have very serious assault cases—that’s a different matter. People try to club it all together, which is not fair. But I’m glad I was able to inspire girls to come out and say their piece. At least they’re not taking it lying down anymore. They get that confidence — ‘Oh, she did it, I can say it too.’”
