The year-old #MeToo movement has long failed to take root in India, but Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta’s accusations of sexual harassment against veteran actor Nana Patekar appears to be emboldening women to speak out at last.

In recent days other Bollywood figures, a comedian, a best-selling author and top journalists have all found themselves accused of abusing their positions to behave improperly towards women, reports khaleejtimes.com.

Here are the Indian celebs who have been accused as part of the #MeToo campaign in India:

1. Nana Patekar

It all started with Tanushree Dutta talking about actor Nana Patekar’s inappropriate behaviour on the film set of Horn Ok Pleasss 10 years ago.

Today, the actor who has consistently denied the accusation, canceled the press conference he had planned to address the sexual harassment allegation leveled against him. The media was informed about the cancellation by Nana’s son Malhar.

2. Vivek Agnihotri

Dutta also alleged that filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri behaved inappropriately towards her while shooting a 2005 movie. Agnihotri’s lawyer denied the ‘frivolous’ claims.

3. Vikas Bahl

Kangana Ranaut, an actress who worked with Bahl on ‘Queen’, his 2014 hit film touching on female empowerment, came out and said that the director would ‘bury his face in my neck and hold me really tight’.

Vikas was accused of sexual misconduct at a 2015 Phantom Films party in Goa. Over the weekend, it was announced that Phantom Films, co-owned by Vikas Bahl along with Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Madhu Mantena, had been dissolved over allegations against Bahl.

4. Utsav Chakraborty

A Mumbai comedian, Utsav Chakraborty, last week found himself at the centre of a Twitter storm accusing him of sending lewd messages to women and young girls such as requesting topless photos.

After an initial dismissal, Chakraborty, who now faces a possible police investigation, tweeted that he has ‘been the exact monster I’ve been trying to fight all my life’.

5. Chetan Bhagat

Chetan Bhagat, one of India’s top-selling authors, got himself embroiled in the movement when a woman shared screenshots of WhatsApp conversations between them.  The author then went on to issue an apology on Facebook.

6. Rajat Kapoor

Actor Rajat Kapoor has been called out for alleged sexual harassment on Twitter with two women accusing him of inappropriate behaviour.

One journalist shared details of a telephonic interview in which Mr Kapoor allegedly asked her if she was ‘As sexy as she sounds’ and ‘tell me your vital stats.’ 

Rajat posted an apology on Twitter saying, ‘On Twitter, Rajat Kapoor posted this: ‘All my life I have tried to be a decent man, to do the right thing. If however, I have slipped and through my actions or words caused pain or hurt or trauma to absolutely anybody, please accept my apology. I am sorry from the bottom of my heart - and sad that I was the cause of this hurt to another human being. If there is one thing more important to me than even my work, it is to be a good human being. And I have tried to be that person. And now, I will try harder.’

7.  Kailash Kher

A female journalist has accused singer Kailash Kher of harassment. She said: ‘This creep kept his hand on my thigh.’

In his defence, Kailash said in a statement to IANS: ‘For all those who know me and have come across me, will know how much I respect humanity, especially women, even more for the ones who work in media since their work is difficult.’

‘I am almost all the time in my own simple world, but in case anyone has taken or thought something differently about anything, then it is my sincere apology. My devotion to music makes me who I am and I am thankful for all the love and support,’ he said.

So, what now?

The floodgates have opened and what’s coming out is predictably murky.

Many are describing it as Indian journalism’s #MeToo moment, but could it really be as potent as the movement that brought down some of the most powerful men of Hollywood? The names that have been outed, barring one or two, are of relatively small fry — the ‘Harvey Weinsteins’ remain unnamed as yet, reports BBC News.

The strength of the latest #MeToo movement will ultimately be tested by where it travels from here — and if the past is any indication, there’s not much to be optimistic about, for earlier attempts at an Indian #MeToo did not have any lasting impact.

A list of alleged predators in academia died a quick death in the Twitter bubble; and calls to name and shame the sleazy in Bollywood did not find many takers. Also, it’s not going to be easy for those who choose to speak out, especially for those who have no evidence to back up their allegations.

Some of the women have provided screen shots of private text messages they were sent by their alleged harassers, making the allegations hard to deny.

But in cases where it boils down to ‘your word against mine’, many of the women who spoke out are already being threatened with legal action for defamation and some of the tweets, naming names, have already been taken down.