Anirban Das Blah, Shillong born celebrity manager accused in the #MeToo movement in India, allegedly tried to commit suicide in Navi Mumbai late last night.
The co-founder of Kwan Entertainment was reportedly stopped by the police, who found him on a bridge in Vashi around 12.30 am.
He was reportedly seen climbing the barricades of the bridge when the police grabbed him and pulled him down. The police later said he looked depressed and in tears.
"He was brought to the police station by traffic cops. We called his family and friends who later came and took him from here," said senior police officer Anil Deshmukh.
Anirban Blah was asked to step down after being accused of sex harassment by multiple women who came out against him on a #MeToo thread on social media.
"We have asked Anirban Blah to forthwith step aside from his duties, activities and responsibilities ar KWAN, its subsidiaries and affiliates with immediate effect," said a statement issued by the entertainment and marketing company earlier this week.
"The past few days have been very disturbing to everyone in the light of the #MeToo movement and it has pushed us all to take a step back and introspect whether each of us is doing enough to create a healthy and safe environment," the KWAN statement said, assuring a "safe and secure" working environment for its employees.
"We fully support the #MeToo movement and deprecate and condemn those who have exploited women in any form or manner."
The company manages prominent names like Ranbir Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor and Jacqueline Fernandez.
Blah grew up in Shillong, where his parents worked at the State Bank of India. He moved to Delhi to finish his classes XI and XII at the Delhi Public School (DPS) Mathura Road, before enrolling for a Bachelor's degree in English literature at Delhi University's Kirori Mal College, where he became involved in student politics as the head of the North Eastern Students' Federation of India.
In 2009, Blah quit Globosport to start Kwan. Part of the reason was that he was tired of the celebrity management business. Kwan does work with celebrities, but it does more than talent representation. In fact, it's pretty hard to pin down what Kwan does. The company calls itself the "leading marketplace for pop culture in India" but what does that actually mean?
Over nine years, Blah and his team have built Kwan into a conglomerate that generates more than $500 million (around ₹ 3,404 crore) in business annually. With a roster that includes 115 creative artists—not just actors, but also directors, writers and music composers—it's an entertainment powerhouse. Kwan was involved—which could mean anything from representing the film's stars to finding directors and producers for a script—in over 50 films last year, including eight of the top 10 grossers.
Other verticals include TV and web content, product placement, live programming, brand positioning and marketing advisory, sports team franchise management, and, most recently, fashion retail.
