#MeToo sweeps through newsrooms across India
mumbai — The year-old #MeToo movement has long failed to take root in India, but recent revelations by a few bravehearts have sent a storm sweeping through Bollywood and newsrooms.
In recent days, Bollywood figures, a comedian, a best-selling author and top journalists have all found themselves accused of abusing their positions and behaving improperly towards women.
The spark is actress Tanushree Dutta, who in a recent interview accused well-known Bollywood actor Nana Patekar of inappropriate behaviour on a film set 10 years ago.
Journalist and writer Sandhya Menon alleged that senior Times of
India editor KR Sreenivas had behaved in an inappropriate manner with her several years ago, The News Minute reported. She also tweeted similar stories that other women had come forward to share with her about KR Sreenivas.
Sandhya also accused senior editor Gautham Adhikari of allegedly kissed her forcibly. Writer and professor of journalism Sonora Jha also accused Gautham of molesting her in a similar fashion,
said.
Journalist Divya Karthikeyan alleged that writer, journalist and cultural critic Sadanand Menon sexually harassed her. According to The News Minute, Sadanand has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple persons already. He recently dropped the course that he was teaching at the Asian College of Journalism following protests by students and others, reports said.
Journalist Anoo Bhuyan alleged that Mayank Jain of
made unwelcome sexual advances at her. Journalist and Feminism in India editor Japleen Pasricha also shared a similar experience, including screen shots of the conversation she had with him. Other women journalists shares their experiences without naming the perpetrator.
Actress Dutta also alleged that filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri behaved inappropriately towards her while shooting a 2005 movie. Agnihotri’s lawyer denied the “frivolous” claims.
Over the weekend a HuffPost India report published accusations against director Vikas Bahl, one of the four founders of Phantom Films, the edgy production house behind Netflix’s first original Indian series, “Sacred Games”.
Kangana Ranaut, an actress who worked with Bahl on “Queen”, his 2014 hit film touching on female empowerment, came out and said that the director would “bury his face in my neck and hold me really tight”. Rituparna Chatterjee, an independent journalist and a member of the Network of Women in Media group, cautioned that the women coming forward so far were members of minority urban elite.
For vast numbers of women, life remains grim — and with no access to Twitter to seek justice.
“They have faced bodily and verbal violence all their lives from men they know, relatives, strangers and friends they trust,” Chatterjees aid. “Where are these voices? While it is tremendously important that India’s MeToo moment happens and it is happening, it is equally important to find voices which are not in urban spaces.”