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Actress Shweta Basu Prasad won our hearts with her performance in movies like Iqbal, and Makdee. This video of Shweta Basu talking of her experiences after being accused of prostitution, is motivating.
We were all shocked when Shweta’s name appeared in an alleged prostitution case in Hyberabad two years ago. I could not relate the image to her character of the adorable Shruti in the TV series, Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki in which she played the female protagonist, Parvati’s daughter.
The case attracted media hype and attention. There was a statement circulated by the media that Shweta had accepted the charges. Some celebrities sympathized with her, while others condemned the media for not reporting on the businessmen allegedly involved in the racket, and maligning the woman alone.
In an open letter to the media, Shweta later said that the charges and the statement were both fabricated. According to her, she was in Hyderabad for the Santosham Awards and her stay at the hotel was sponsored by the event organisers. The charges were subsequently withdrawn by the session courts in Hyderabad.
What would a young girl who has been through such an unpleasant and disturbing experience have to say? Wouldn’t she be bitter, embarrassed and humiliated by the whole episode? I was surprised to watch this interview video of Shweta Basu’s in which she confidently talks about moving on and how she is not going to let that one incident affect her (video shared below).
She says that would like to focus on her work, and is excited about her future acting assignments, which she wants to achieve on her merit, and not out of sympathy. She also recollects that after her detainment, she went to a rescue home where she stayed for 60 days. She speaks fondly of the time spent there, teaching kids Hindi, English and Hindustani Classical vocals, reading books and engaging herself productively.
Shweta is not indulging in self-pity and refuses to let herself be treated as a victim:
“The problem with our society is, as long as I was given sympathy and everyone went ‘awwww’, ‘poor girl’, ‘so sad’ and so on, everybody was supporting me. But, as soon as people understand that they got carried away by a false statement and a girl of 23 can be strong and can stand on her own feet without any sympathies, the society feels that she is lying?? What’s my fault if the news were the way they were? I cannot force anyone to like or respect me. These happen naturally. What happened was beyond my control.”
We have seen cases of women being depressed and humiliated by unwarranted media attention and cyber-crimes and may feel that they cannot recover from the damage. Shweta has spread a positive message about being strong in the times of distress, learning from the past and moving on.
Any woman, not necessarily a celebrity could go through an experience that is considered scarring by society, but life is too big, and has much more to offer. I respect Shweta for understanding this at a young age of 23!
I like to write about the problems that have plagued the Indian society. I feel that the concept of gender equality is still alien , and that has been the focus of my articles and posts. read more...
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