Payal Ghosh seeks justice
Actress talks aboutwhy she chose to speak up about Anurag Kashyap
Indian actress Payal Ghosh, who has accused director Anurag Kashyap of sexual misconduct, claims that she doesn’t care if Bollywood and internet trolls attempt to discredit her.
“People from Bollywood may not support me, but people from India are supporting me. The ones in Bollywood are either quiet or not supporting me, but I don’t care. I knowwhat I am saying is right … Let the truth come out,” said Ghosh in an exclusive interview with tabloid.
On September 23, Ghosh filed a First Information Report ( FIR) with the Mumbai Police claiming that Kashyap had raped her at his home in Yari Road, Mumbai, in 2013. Kashyap has vehemently denied her allegations, calling them ‘ baseless’. Ghosh has filed a case under the Section 376 ( I) ( rape), 354 ( assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 341 ( wrongful restraint), and 342 ( wrongful confinement) of the Indian Penal Code. Kashyap, through his lawyer Priyanka Khimani, tweeted that Ghosh’s allegations of rape were ‘ completely false, malicious and dishonest’.
“It’s sad that a social movement as important as the # me too movement has been co- opted by vested interests and reduced to a mere tool for character assassination,” tweeted Kashyap through his lawyer. But Ghosh claims that she’s speaking her truth.
“You cannot have a sexual relationship with a person who doesn’t want it and that’s just wrong … Iwant justice,” said Ghosh. “Article 376, rape, has been imposed on him. I told everything that happened tome in 2013 to the police.”
“I am fighting formy truth. I don’t care who is supporting me or who isn’t. I am sure I will get justice and I will do whatever it takes to get that justice.” PAYAL GHOSH ★ Actress
She also claims that the assault has left deep scars on her and have led to anxiety and panic attacks. Trolls on social media, aimed at discrediting her and questioning her morality, are intense, claims Ghosh.
“Tweets that say that I opened my clothes... that I am doing drama isn’t going to break me … Initially, I wanted to do this for me but now my fight is for every woman who was trapped in a similar situation,” she says.
Excerpts fromour interview with Ghosh as she talks about her allegations, her apology to actress Richa Chadha ( whose name Ghosh brought up when claiming Kashyap had demanded sexual favours from his female colleagues) and why many prefer to disbelieve her...
Why prompted you to make these allegations against Anurag Kashyap no was opposed to 2013?
At the time it happened, my family andmy manager didn’t allowme to complain to the police. I also spoke to my manager back then and although we thought thatwe will report it initially, the morewe discussed it, the morewe realised that it may hurtmy budding career which had just begun. Weweighed the pros and cons and decided not to talk about it. But the incident kept haunting me. Itwas painful and traumatic to see this man talk aboutwomen’s liberation and empowerment in public platforms.
Even when the # MeToo era began in Bollywood in 2018, Iwanted to speak up, butmy family andmy manager dissuadedme fromdoing so at that point too... But the trigger was hearing this man talking about Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, it made me want to speak out. I didn’t deliberately tweet about it because Iwas afraid that Iwould be asked to remove or take down that tweet by those around me. Instead of doing that, I revealed that episode in an interviewwith a South Indian TV channel. Speaking to the media ensured that I could file an FIR.
Kashyap has denied your rape allegations and you have alsomet resistance fromhis ex- wives and colleagues who have supported him. Did you knowthat your account of sexual misconduct will not get support?
He has a lobbywho will support him no matter what. These people who are supporting himwere not in the room with me. Secondly, that big lobby is filled withwomen who claim to be feminists. They are fake feminists and they are supporting someone whom they knownothing about. They don’t knowwhat happened with me...
I knewfromday one that Iwould get only resistance in Bollywood. This is what happens in Bollywood, everybody knows about each other’s wrongdoings and they areworried if their ownwrongdoings will be revealed. They are just trying for self- protection here.
Actress Richa Chadha took offence to her name being dragged in his alleged list of conquests. You have also apologised to her after she filed a defamation suit against you … Your thoughts.
We had an amicable settlement in court over that. But from day one, I had maintained that the names I tookwas uttered by Mr Kashyap … My testimony to police would have been incomplete if I did not recount what had happened with him in 2018. Thatwas my whole idea. She should have complained against him for using her name, but instead she filed a defamation case against me. Being awoman and a human being, I decided to say sorry to her because she was being trolled. Ifmy sorry makes her happy, then I am ready to do that … But they are making my sorry as a sign of victory.
Trust me, it takes a lot of guts to say sorry and I could have continued to fight her case in the court for the next five or ten years. But she’s not my objective. I have nothing to do with her. I don’t know her personally and I don’t have any grudge against her … My goal is Anurag Kashyap, not Richa Chadha. Ifmy ‘ sorry’ makes her happy, then so be it. She’s the most unimportant person inmy life right now.
What are you hoping to gain after coming out with your# MeToo allegations against Kashyap?
Iwant to get justice. Iwant justice for me and for all those women who face similar situations in their lives. This should be a reminder to everyone out there that here’s a person who came out against an influential, powerful personal like Mr Kashyap and dared to talk about it. I did not talk about it initially because Iwas scared that my career will be ruined and that I will be harmed. But I couldn’t stand it any further. I had to take medications after that episode with him.
Initially, I wasn’t anxious or didn’t have panic attacks. At first, I buried that episode deep inmy subconscious and it was my doctor who told me that there’s something that you are burying and after his prodding I realised that this could be the reason behind my mental health. Iwas born into a conservative family where women are not allowed towork. I consider myself a pioneer for other women inmy family … But what happened with Mr Kashyap continues to haunt me and that’s why I decided that Iwant closure. I agree, I wasn’t courageous before but now I am. I knewthat I didn’t come out and speak up, that incident would continue to haunt me forever.
So itwas the lack of closure that triggered mental health issues?
I am on medication formy anxiety and panic attacks now. I had this constant fear that I am going to be attacked after what happened to me. I couldn’t even switch off my lights at night and I had this feeling that somebody will attack me.
My sister says that I often screamin my sleep about somebody attacking me. I also experience panic attacks— that feeling of being dizzy and suffocated. Even though I am on medication now, speaking up has helped me so much. Even if I forget to take my medication now, I don’t feel that anxious nowbecause I spoke up.
In the case of Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who is in prison for sexual assault, many women came forward to speak about their experiences with him. But no women have come forward following your accusations against Kashyap. Does that weaken your accusations?
No, it doesn’t. What happened to others doesn’t strengthen or weaken my claims. I am speaking my truth and the investigation is going on now. I will give necessary evidence to prove what happened with me.
I cannot claim to knowwhat happened with the other women he worked with. I am fighting formy truth. I don’t care who is supporting me or who isn’t. I amsure I will get justice and I will do whatever it takes to get that justice … I cannot talk about the details of the ongoing investigation.
What’s theway forward now?
The investigation is going on nowand I cannot talk about the details of the case. Iwant justice.