Why is Bollywood wary of joining the #metoo movement?

Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta has created a stir with her allegations of sexual harassment against veteran actor Nana Patekar and a few other film personalities. In the latest revelation, she said that Nana Patekar tried to molest her and despite her resistance, his advances continued during the picturisation of a song of the movie Horn Ok

Pleassss in 2009.

The actor was confident his misdemeanor would not be made public as he had the tacit support of the producer, director and choreographer. Like Tanushree, sometime ago, a yesteryear’s popular child actress, too, had revealed being a victim of molestation and sexual abuse even as a child.

Tanushree’s accusations and allegations have created a furore and many top Bollywood personalities have come out in support of her. But one wonders, if the incident is true why did she keep quiet for nearly a decade? Career aspirations could be one of the reasons. According to Tanushree, powerful men in the film industry often considered demigods, saintly, who can do no wrong (in reality most of them get away with anything they do). Such mighty bigwigs are capable of ruining careers of actresses and force them into submission, too.

Bollywood is a world of glamour and glitz. Character assassination, mudslinging and exploitation are part of the industry. Women/actresses who long to carve a niche in the world of celluloid need to be gritty, gutsy and should possess a gamut of nerves to stand up against any kind of exploitation. They should learn to face and overcome the insurmountable challenges to their success with élan. Why should they cave in?

Perhaps, this could also be Bollywood’s moment to initiate a movement against sexual harassment. Its own #MeToo movement.

That said, the folks associated with filmdom need to pay heed and make the work environment cleaner, safer and more secure, especially for ‘fairer sex’.