Hindustan Times (Patna) - Hindustan Times (Patna) - Live
‘Hollywood is setting fantastic precedent on sexual predators’
Actor Dia Mirza has always spoken her heart out on major issues. In her usual straightforward manner, she says that the backlash against sexual predators is a “fantastic precedent”. The scandal over sexual harassment / assault that erupted in Hollywood, following a New York Times report, has felled huge names such as producer Harvey Weinstein and actor Kevin Spacey. Bollywood has not been untouched by the furore, with actors Priyanka Chopra, Kalki Koechlin, Vidya Balan, and producer Ekta Kapoor speaking up on this.
Dia says that women speaking up against men who dared to violate them is “a very important and healthy thing”. She adds, “For too long, women have kept quiet about the way they have been treated.” She also believes that Hollywood is “exemplifying” the punishment that sexual predators deserve. “Contracts are being terminated, people have stopped working with such people, which is a fantastic precedent!” she says.
However, Dia points out that sexual harassment is allpervasive — “it’s not just about the film industry” — and men can be victimised, too. “I don’t believe this is a narrative reduced to one gender.”
Besides being vocal about women’s rights, Dia has also been an environmental crusader. The actor is now the UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador for India. She says, “I’ve been working for environmental conservation for almost 11 years now... that qualifies me for the job.”