Anurag urges abuse victims to speak up
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap says the reason a lot of people in Bollywood have remained silent about sexual harassment at workplace is because they know their opinion would not make a difference until the victims come forward. The #MeToo campaign, which sparked off a movement in Hollywood late last year, had actors, along with people from other walks of life, share their stories of sexual abuse. The reportage of multiple allegations of sexual harassment, including rape, against media mogul Harvey Weinstein last October, was touted as the “watershed moment” in the history of the entertainment industry.
There are only a handful of Bollywood stars, who have spoken about sexual harassment prevalent in the industry, without taking any names.
While Hollywood had actors naming their sexual abusers from the industry, Hindi cinema chose to stay silent, inviting criticism from fans.
Defending the industry, Kashyap said artists weighing in on the prevalence of sexual abuse is of no use until those who have faced harassment keep mum about their experiences. “Anywhere, a campaign like [#MeToo] will be successful only when the victim speaks up.
“If the victim won’t speak up, then no one can speak because the others will be branded as disgruntled people trying to do rumour-mongering. It will be a total failure,” said the director.