BOMBAY TIMES (October 8, 2018)

Filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan, who began his career with Phantom Films’ Masaan (2015) shared his opinion on the Vikas Bahl incident and his views on safer working environments for women in cinema.

“My entire film career has shaped at Phantom Films. It has been a great run. However, I have to share what I felt about the recent allegations that have come out. I have felt absolutely disgusted by what Vikas Bahl did to a fellow team member. A legal complication enabled that he couldn’t be sacked owing to him being a partner. That complication has enabled him to make another film, while she continued to go through agonising mental trauma. It was her choice not to speak at the time and I respect that. However, we all are complicit in that system. I will speak for myself: I am complicit in working with the company that allows it. I allowed myself to work where such toxic male behaviour and perverse patriarchal mind-set was fostered. I am extremely sorry I didn’t push hard enough.

I can only promise, which may sound meaningless at this point, that I will do whatever it takes to break this culture of enabling the predatory behaviour. In the wake of recent events – like Tanushree Dutta’s case – I have introspected a lot. I feel that the lack of women crew members enables this male entitlement and trivialises (or brushes under the carpet) such incidents easily.

At a personal level, I have been partially following some informal/unsaid rules as far as my personal working ecosystem is concerned and I am going to stringently enforce them from here on. I will not sign a film with a company that does not enforce the PoSH (Policy on Prevention of Sexual Harassment) guidelines or if its legal framework disallows sacking/taking action against partners over sexual misconduct. I will make sure that at least 30% of the entire crew and half of the HoDs of any project I work on are women because women in power positions will ensure that such incidents are not overlooked by men in the hierarchy. I will ensure that we have meetings and orientation discussions about onset and off-set appropriate behaviour. I will enable an atmosphere that encourages women to speak.”