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Tina Sequeira quips about Bollywood actors' abysmal response to the #MeToo movement, often behaving like ostriches rather than use their immense clout to speak up.
Tina Sequeira quips about Bollywood actors’ abysmal response to the #MeToo movement, often behaving like ostriches rather than use their immense clout to speak up.
Love it or Hate it; but you cannot ignore the #MeToo movement. This highly controversial but much-needed movement has its fair share of evangelists and detractors.
The bomb can explode anytime on the entire film industry. It could also percolate into the other sectors, the stories bringing all these skeletons out of many closets.
While the celebrity version of the #MeToo stories is sad, it’s very amusing at the same time.
The two extremes of cacophony and stark silence caught my attention and interest. And I couldn’t help penning down this #MeToo roast.
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Anurag Kashyap is calling out sex offenders? Oh yeah! It’s like the pot calling the kettle black. Next what, Shakti Kapoor calls out Gulshan Grover?
Sajid Khan turns out to be not-so-slim-shady after all. I am not surprised, because his jokes and movies have always been sexist.
Aamir Perfectionist Khan stays true to his Satyamev Jayathe image by showing his solidarity for the #MeToo movement.
Akshay Patriotic Kumar was exempted from his #MeToo duties because he’s busy doing toilet and sanitary napkin promotions. Plus his wife’s twinkly image works to his advantage. Though he did jump in finally, to his credit.
Maybe Nana Patekar has hope. His charitable acts may just save his skin. If Salman’s Being Human image can maaf saath khoon, why not!
Also, where’s Shahrukh’s head currently buried?
Karan Nepotist Johar is busy perfecting his pout and prepping his peepers for his upcoming steaming show.
Amitabh (Nah!)Bol Bachchan is, of course, above all such movements. Kyunki Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahi, namumkin hain!
And trust Rakhi Opportunist Sawant for barking from every rooftop possible.
Also, Kareena Non-Feminist Khan for preferring to stay mum because she is all for gender equality but not faaaminism. #NotHer for sure.
Finally, I’m praying Saroj Khan doesn’t pop out of nowhere and make another insane comment on how ‘yeh sab toh chalta rahata hain’ (All this is pretty normal in the industry) and break into a jig to her cringe-worthy ‘Choli Ke Peeche’ song.
Bollywood is a mental asylum.
A version of this was first published on the author’s Facebook.
Image source: YouTube
Tina Sequeira is an award-winning writer and marketer. Winner of the Rashtriya Gaurav Award (2019) in association with the Government of Telangana, GrandQueens Leadership Award (2020) by Lions Clubs International, Women Lit of the read more...
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Why do parents avoid explaining the physical part of relationships to their children? The mindset is-'they will learn on their own like I learnt.'
Marriage. A word with conflicting sentiments. Love, exhilaration, fear, and adjustments were all deep sentiments that tingled in the pit of my stomach from time to time. However, I believe that the final decision must be taken solely by the two persons after the completion of courtship period (or whatever you call it).
My cousin got married in this lockdown. She was not very excited about the shrinking guest list. Though she was ecstatic she had me. More than the sisterhood bonding, we apportion a cognation of mentor-student. Moreover, I feel so protective towards her as she is introvert, shy, and timid. All I endeavoured and wanted her was her voice and a stand for herself.
It was her mehndi the day I reached. She rushed to hug me with those moist eyes. Fighting back my tears and holding her in my arms, my mind toggled between past and present. “I am so happy you made it di,” she said. It was the moment of mixed feelings, a reminder of the time when I was naïve to the change marriage brought into my life. I inhaled my lungs full of air in disbelief that the baby girl is getting married in two days. She blushed as others giggled and teased her asking her about the guy.
From the time one dancer went public about Pt Birju Maharaj through a series of stories on Instagram, the classic cycle of victim blaming started asserting itself- deny, disbelieve, discredit, disgrace.
Trigger warning: This has sexual abuse, victim blaming, and gaslighting, and may be triggering to survivors.
In light of the recent allegations of sexual misconduct by the legendary kathak maestro Pt. Birju Maharaj, a number of people are asking “why now?” Why is the person choosing to make the allegations public after his death when he is no longer around to defend himself? What is to be gained by sullying his reputation when he is no longer in the world? If these allegations were true, why didn’t we hear of it before?
While the accused happily got more work, the women lost out on jobs as people tarnished their reputation. How effective was #MeToo in Bollywood?
#MeToo has been a huge influence in starting the conversations about the hidden realities of ‘sexual harassment’ everywhere. Recently, ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ actor Ansel Elgort was accused of sexually abusing a minor girl. Though he denied the claims, Hollywood seems to have taken notice.
The noise around #MeToo is still getting attention in Hollywood. But that makes me wonder, what about Bollywood? Did our industry handle the #MeToo movement effectively or did we brush it off just as a phase?
In a recent round table discussion on sexual harassment, noted actress Rani Mukherjee’s comments on the #metoo movement were shocking and highly disturbing.
Rani Mukherjee starts off by saying that “nobody would have dare to do that to me“, exposing her ignorance and arrogance in regards to a serious issue like workplace sexual harassment. Not stopping at that she also wants girls and women to learn martial arts, and be prepared to defend themselves, conveniently placing all the responsibility on the victims and not the offenders.
She fails to realise the implication of her statements even as the other actresses on the panel try to discuss the futility of her statement.