I’m a fighter, and won’t support any injustice against women: Bhumi

Any kind of injustice against women won’t be tolerated, be it sexual harassment, or women not being given their due in terms of equal pay, position, and authority at work, says Bollywood actor Bhumi Pednekar. At a time when the #MeToo and #TimesUp campaigns (against sexual harassment and other forms of gender discrimination) and similar platforms are bringing people around the world together, the actor urges all women to stand up for their rights.

“As a woman, my stance is that I’m a fighter, and in no way will I support any kind of injustice against women in our society. It can be with me or with anybody else — I encourage that we have a voice,” says the actor, adding that though she has never faced any such thing, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, and that she wouldn’t turn a blind eye to it.

Bhumi, who has played women with a lot of courage and character in all her three films so far — Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015); Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (both in 2017) — also urges women of every age, and from all segments of society, to join hands and fight injustice together. “Women face so much at various levels — it can be as simple as the common belief that a woman is incapable of doing certain things, or the fact that even if you do something wrong to her, she won’t speak up for fear of embarrassment... The time is here that we all should fight against such wrongs,” says Bhumi, who plays a female dacoit in her next film, Son Chiriya.

She urges everyone to raise their voice against every kind of injustice: “Jahan pe aap pe atyachar hota hain, awaaz uthao, uska samna karo (Whenever you’re wronged, raise your voice, confront the wrong-doer)... And you will see how your behaviour shocks the offenders. What will also surprise you is how much support you will get from everyone.”