‘I have been asked to compromise’

While Hollywood has been rocked by the Harvey Weinstein scandal, actor Irrfan has joined the list of celebrities who feel that things are not that different in Bollywood. Without taking names, the actor, 50, said he has been at the receiving end of such proposals. “It has happened with me a lot of times. It won’t be good to take names but a lot of times it has been hinted to me and sometimes I have been told clearly that if I compromise I’ll get the job. But now it doesn’t happen,” he said during a media interaction. Irrfan said such situations are tricky, especially when it involves the people one knows. “It (invitation) has come from both, males and females. It becomes slightly weird because when people, you know and respect a lot, give you such offers, you feel that the dynamics of the relationship will change. That’s the sad part. But I have the power to accept or refuse them,” he said. Recently New York Times did a detailed expose of Weinstein’s alleged sexual misconduct. More than 50 women have come forward after the October 5 report. Irrfan, who has worked in major Hollywood projects such as Jurassic World (2015) and Life of Pi (2012), said anything that happens without mutual consent should be condemned. “A person might propose, ‘If you sleep with me I’ll give you work,’ but you have the power to say no. Such indications are given to both men and women, but women face it more. If it is happening forcefully, then it’s extremely saddening,” he said. “If there is a person who is repeatedly doing these things, he must be exposed. It’s necessary to talk about him,” added the actor, who will be next seen in a romantic film Qarib Qarib Singlle.

PHOTO: SHIVAM SAXENA/HT Irrfan admits that “women face it [sexual harrasment] more”