1 Sep 2025 : Actress, writer, and fierce #MeToo advocate Saloni Chopra has forcefully criticised the makers of the Amazon Prime film Songs of Paradise for casting Zain Khan Durrani, the man she publicly accused of physically abusing her. In an emotional Instagram post, Saloni called out the film’s title, calling it painfully ironic given the alleged reality behind it.
Saloni wrote, “Paradise for whom?”—a rhetorical question pointing to the unsettling reality that a man accused of choking and dragging her out of their home is now being presented on a prominent platform. She questioned Bollywood’s culture of promoting men accused of violent misconduct while sidelining the women who speak out.
When she came forward in 2018, Saloni revealed that Durrani would physically assault her and then manipulate the narrative—feigning victimhood—or gaslight her. She noted that he had repeated similar patterns with other women. Consistent apologies from him and his camp felt hollow, she said, like a mass email: “like we had subscribed to his mailing list.”
Saloni emphasized the chilling message this casting sends: “If you know someone is abusive and you still stand next to him, produce his films, or act beside him… then your message is clear: women’s pain is disposable, men’s careers are not.” She questioned whether the industry has any real values left if abusive men continue to get big platforms while survivors are punished with silence and invisibility.
Saloni’s post ties into a pattern from the original #MeToo wave—while the movement led to groundbreaking revelations, many accused individuals like Durrani have since resurfaced in mainstream projects without accountability.
Reflecting on her broader message, Saloni noted that many people who tweet about feminism or share empowerment posts fail to reflect those values in their actual choices. She called this performative allyship out, stating: “Silence makes you part of the problem. When you ignore the truth because it is uncomfortable, you are saying that violence against women is forgivable as long as the man is profitable.”
Summary
Saloni Chopra condemns the casting of her alleged abuser Zain Khan Durrani in Songs of Paradise, calling out Bollywood’s tendency to elevate accused men while silencing women who speak out.