Refuse to be a victim of bullying or arm-twisting: Bipasha

Denying allegations against her by organisers of India-Pakistan London Fashion Show, actress Bipasha Babu on Thursday said she always holds a high value for self-respect and won't be a victim of "bullying" or "arm twisting".

Bipasha and her husband Karan Singh Grover were slammed by the organisers for lack of professionalism, after the "Jism" actress refused to walk the ramp hours before the show.

Shedding light on the incident, Bipasha, in an open letter, said: "The deal was made with a set of agreed conditions. However, when I landed there for the project as planned, I realised that the organisers hadn't honoured their end of the bargain, in spite of confirming with my manager that they had."

Having agreed to travel on a hospitality deal, Bipasha said that "never was I treated so badly".

"My self-respect holds the highest value and I refuse to be a victim of bullying or arm-twisting. They expected me to hold true to my end of the bargain, whereas they had completely defaulted at their end," she added.

The organisers claimed they suffered loss of 7,800 pounds, apart from Bipasha's travel expenses, but the actress refuted it.

"Contrary to rumours, as soon as I landed in London, we made our own hotel bookings and I also immediately rebooked our own travel. Being a part of the Bollywood fraternity, I've never experienced such a callous and high-handed treatment before. So instead of creating a scene there, I chose to keep the high ground and backed off from the event."

Admitting that her actions might have hurt some people, she said: "I believe we all have the right to stand by our self-respect and choose to walk away from humiliating situations."

She also said that when terms and conditions aren't met, "it is only natural and professional to opt out of the deal".

Bipasha said celebrities are soft targets for anyone to accuse and then be written about.

"I hope everyone makes a wiser judgment as opposed to believing just about anything that is gets written," she said.

--IANS

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