Bigg Boss Season 16, hosted by Salman Khan, is receiving flak for having #MeToo accused filmmaker Sajid Khan as one of its contestants.

Just after the popular Colors celebrity reality show went on air on October 1, there has been chatter on the Internet about Sajid, who has directed films like Heyy Babyy, Housefull and Humshakals, getting a platform like Bigg Boss to whitewash his tainted image. Nine women had reportedly put forward charges of sexual misconduct against Sajid in the wake of the #MeToo movement in 2018.

As host Salman called Sajid on stage at the premiere episode of Bigg Boss, a video message from Season 13’s most popular participant Shehnaaz Gill, who would soon be seen in Salman’s home production Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, was played. In the video, Shehnaaz showed her support to Sajid and addressed him as her “brother”. In response, Sajid said Shehnaaz was like his “younger sister”. This has angered a section of Shehnaaz fans, while some others tried to justify her stand.

At the premiere episode, Sajid revealed that he had no work in the past couple of years and so wanted to reconnect with his audience. To this, through a series of Instagram Stories, influencer and model Uorfi Javed condemned the TV channel for “supporting sexual predators” to add “controversy” to the show. She also criticised Shehnaaz and TV actress Kashmera Shah for supporting Sajid, who had made many women cry.

Here are Uorfi Javed’s social media posts Instagram

Despite the backlash, as per the #MeTooIndia handle on Twitter, there was no response from the TV channel. “Complete silence from @ColorsTV and @BiggBoss on the #SajidKhan allegations so far,” read the tweet.

Actress, author, and influencer Saloni Chopra, one of the nine women who had accused Sajid of sexual misconduct, pointed out that since Sajid’s entry into the Bigg Boss House, she was bombarded with calls to speak out. She highlighted the fact that people should genuinely come in support of the women who spoke up by offering them work. In most cases, women chose to remain silent as people avoid working with the accuser as they “don’t want trouble”.

Saloni also shared that a petition has been started on Change.org to remove Sajid Khan from the ongoing show.

Singer Sona Mohapatra has been vocal against Sajid Khan’s inclusion in Bigg Boss Season 16. On social media, she had put up a post on Navratri emphasising the “complete disregard for women’s voices in the #MeToo movement by Indian (TV) channels”.

Model-turned-actress Rachel White, one of the nine women who had raised their voices against Sajid, shared model Diandra Soares’s Instagram Story and wrote, “@colorstv team full of people with a dead conscience!”

Here’s Rachel White’s social media post. Instagram

Earlier, actresses such as Simran Suri, Sherlyn Chopra and Dimple Paul had also accused Sajid of misconduct.

Meanwhile, Colors offered Sajid an opportunity to perform a stand-up comedy act on the show and also made him the translator for co-contestant Abdu Rozik, a singer and blogger from Tajikistan. Popular TV actor Shalin Bhanot’s inclusion in Season 16 has also been questioned as he was charged of domestic violence by his former wife Dalljiet Kaur, a TV actress.