When the #MeToo campaign rattled Hollywood we thought the next frontier to be on war path would be Bollywood.
Already, a battle was raging between Kangana Ranaut, the star of Queen and Simran, and Hrithik Roshan, who the Bollywood press hero-worships as Greek God. The actress’ problems with Aditya Pancholi too were revealed on interviews on TV and the press.
Nothing significant happened. Some hated her outspoken attitude with a passion and was heavily trolled on social media. Kangana became a laughing stock at Indian film festival in New York. It was because of some statements she made on nepotism in Bollywood. Three pampered star kids fired barbs at the actress publicly, trying to settle a score.
Way before #MeToo began in Hollywood, actress Tisca Chopra spoke about her experience where she almost landed on a casting couch of a producer. Names were not mentioned. The person was only identified as ‘reptile’. Bollywood is not a country. It is a city within a city and everybody knows names.
TV and film producer Ekta Kapoor, considered to be among the most powerful women in Indian business, said she too has not been able to escape unwanted sexual advances. “Yes, it did happen and it was very shocking. People have crossed the line with me,” she told News18, but did not elaborate.
Priyanka Chopra, Kalki Koechlin, Kangana Ranaut and Konkana Sen came out in support of the fledgling movement. Kangana was the perfect flint but failed to ignite and their efforts have stopped short of unmasking the Harvey Weinsteins and Kevin Spaceys of Bollywood. Other notable firebrands kept mum.
Bollywood always remains divided in important issues. It happened during the banning of Pakistani actors in Bollywood and during Padmavat crisis.
A year before #MeToo, Amitabh-starrer Pink about sex abuse hit the screen receiving universal critical acclaim. Tapsee Pannu went to the extent of inking a tattoo on her neck of three birds signifying a woman’s need to be free from eve teasers and abusers but message of the film seemed only limited to Amitab’s tortured brow on the silver screen.
Last February a prominent Malayali actress was bundled into a car and sexually assaulted for several hours before being dumped on the street. In July, police arrested a super star, for allegedly orchestrating the kidnapping and assault. He denies the charges. Padmapriya, a National Film Award-winning Kerala actress was aghast by the way the industry reacted to the super star’s arrest. “All the big actors went and met with him, said everything would be fine,” she says.
Shah Rukh Khan, a respected actor, urged world leaders to support the #MeToo movement, while he was at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland this week to receive an award for working with acid attack victims.
“This uprising that is happening in America, which is spreading all over the world, with the hashtag MeToo, is actually a sign of (the) times, it is what is the truth, what is happening, and I think every leader in the world should understand, respect and perhaps help promote it, help take care of women,” he said Tuesday.
Even though there may not be any major transformation in the next six months with regard to sexual harassment, I think in a decade it’ll become difficult for people to get away with it like they have in the past – Kalki Koechlin
“What we need to do is look at ourselves as a society and each amongst us, our children, men, boys, we need to take a new look at ourselves … Not only in acid attack crimes, the other crimes against women too, we need to realize that when a woman has a choice, we need to make it as much as we (men) have the right to choose,” he said. This is the message Amitabh’s Pink was trying to convey: ‘No means no!’
Bollywood had all the raw material for an explosive #MeToo movement much bigger than Hollywood’s but why did it fail?
“People don’t listen to you if you are a nobody, but if you are a celebrity it only becomes a shocking headline,” said Kalki Koechlin, the star of Margarita with a Straw, who is vocal about social issues including the rights of women.
Kalki goes on to emphasize: “It is a very difficult step to take. Because it’s their career on the line. You are dealing with hundreds of people throwing their opinions at you,” she says, adding that “it can shake you emotionally.”
Kalki, who has in the past spoken about being sexually abused, said harassment is so rampant and pervasive that women have become numb to it and men are yet to comprehend the seriousness of the situation. “Sexual assault and harassment are both a power game. People who face sexual assault are not in a position to talk about it because it might threaten their jobs,” she said.
“This is a power game and in this game both genders get sexual propositions when they are at a struggling level. Even though there may not be any major transformation in the next six months I think in a decade it’ll become difficult for people to get away with it like they have in the past,” she adds.
The threat of rampant harassment in Bollywood may be a reason for the mothers to chaperone their actress-daughters at shooting. This happened in the past, and still happening today. Facing up to or challenging the predators ‘is putting one’s career on the line’, as Kalki says. Nobody messes with Greek Gods! – Newstrails.com
