People must acknowledge the courage of Tanushree Dutta to take on a powerful person in the industry
Ever since the MeToo movement has started in the West with many women talking openly about the sexual harassment they were subjected to in the Hollywood film industry their own colleagues, co-stars, producers and directors, it has definitely given the strength to the women, who have been the victim of sexual harassment or molestation at any point of time in their lives, across the world to speak up without feeling any shame or fear.
The recent controversy of Tanushree Dutta’s allegation of sexual harassment her then co-star Nana Patekar during a movie shoot ten years ago has also triggered a MeToo movement in India. Recently some journalists have also come up with their own stories of sexual harassment their bosses.
Sexual harassment of women in the workplace is not a new phenomenon. It happens in various walks of life in different forms, and Bollywood is no exception to that. The recent controversy around Tanushree Dutta, not just only exposes the dark and grim side of the Bollywood industry but also calls into question the silence of those who choose to be diplomatic when their voices have the impact to change this culture of sexual harassment within the industry.
In India, a person is considered innocent until proven guilty. Therefore, without completely being assured of the veracity of the claims made Tanushree Dutta, it would be too early to brand someone as a molester or sexual predator. Many people have called the move Tanushree Dutta to go for media trials as the publicity stunt. Some have called his claims completely false and concocted.
However, the fact that Tanushree Dutta is boldly coming out to take on the very powerful man in the industry must be acknowledged and should not be ridiculed. Because it takes a lot of courage to come out openly about something which can put the accuser under huge mental trauma and various types of constant threats and humiliation.
Currently, I am pursuing B.A(H) Political science from Satyawati College, Delhi University.
I like public speaking, writing and reading in my leisure.
