Preity Zinta faces backlash over her #MeToo statement
MUMBAI: Actress Preity Zinta’s comment on the #MeToo movement has sparked a controversy.
What unleashed fury against her was her comment: “I think it’s important that this whole Me Too Movement has started, but it is also important that women use it for the right thing because there are men and women who would use the position of their power for their advantage.”
Preity, who made the comment during an interview with Bollywood Hungama, was also asked if she has ever experienced any kind of bad behaviour in the industry.
She laughed and replied: “No, I haven’t, I wish I had. People treat you the way you want to be treated.”
Later, Preity took to Twitter to lash out at the journalist for editing the interview and making her statement appear to be insensitive.
The #MeToo movement, which began in Hollywood a year ago, has seen thousands sharing their stories of sexual harassment.
In recent months, #MeToo has been gaining momentum in India with women calling out comedians, journalists, authors, actors and filmmakers. Although Preity is no longer very active in Bollywood, a few years ago she was at the top of the industry and starred as the leading lady in films with superstars Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan - so there remains a lot of interest in what she says.
After laughing and replying to the question on whether she had been harrassed, Preity added that it was “a very relevant question because people treat you the way you want to be treated”.
Her choice of words backfired. The video of her interview went viral on social media with many accusing her of mocking the #MeToo movement: