Calling out Nana Patekar for his volatile temper, Renuka Shahane, in her support, says Tanushree Dutta’s allegations haven’t come out of the blue
Mayuri Phadnis (BOMBAY TIMES; October 2, 2018)

“Alfred Hitchcock was a very good filmmaker and I love his work, but he was known to mistreat his actresses. For them, working with him was a nightmare. So, a talented person may not necessarily be a good person,” says Renuka Shahane, who recently came out in support of Tanushree Dutta, who has accused Nana Patekar of sexually aggressive behaviour on the sets of the movie Horn Ok Pleassss.

In a post on her Facebook page, Renuka shared that Nana is known for his volatile temper. She wrote, “Many men and women in the film industry have faced his wrath (sic).” Speaking to us, Renuka adds, “He is known for his volatile temper. Not just with women, but with men as well.” Renuka feels that a person may not share the same comfort level with everyone. “There are times when an actress may feel uncomfortable with scenes or dance moves. In such situations, it is best to work around it as a team. Instead, in this case, Tanushree was bullied,” says Renuka, adding that the said dance step could have been easily changed without affecting the song or film.

“Replacing an actor for refusing to do a scene is within the purview of the makers but such intimidation is absolutely unnecessary and uncalled for,” she says. While many have been questioning why Tanushree didn’t raise a complaint when the incident took place, Renuka clears things, adding, “Tanushree had raised a complaint 10 years ago with the Cine and TV Artists Association (CINTAA). She hasn’t come up with these allegations out of the blue.”

Ask her if this is Bollywood’s #MeToo movement and Renuka replies, “I don’t think a movement on the scale that had happened in Hollywood is possible here. At least the women there had the freedom to speak up. Yet, it took a while for them to come out and voice their concerns. So imagine how much time it would take our industry to reach that level. Having said that, with women standing up for themselves, I feel this is a start and, fortunately, earlier than expected.”

She adds that she would not blame the women in Bollywood because character assassination and victim blaming are biggest concerns in our country. “People do not try to understand the points you are making. They feel you are targeting a man with an impeccable character,” says Renuka.

Elaborating on the issues women in Bollywood face, she says that from misogynistic jokes to filmmakers asking actresses to meet them in hotel rooms, and suggesting them to come alone, such occurrences are very common in the industry. “‘Role toh aapko milega, lekin compromise karna padega’ is a phrase which some filmmakers use directly,” says Renuka, adding, “What is this ‘compromise’? You cannot compromise in art. If an actress is not talented, do not cast her. It’s as simple as that.” The actress says that if a relationship is consensual, then it’s all right, but forcing someone to do something is not right. “Why should roles depend on sexual favours?” she asks.