Pallabi Purkayastha (BOMBAY TIMES; October 18, 2018)

In the light of the global movement #MeToo, which has gained momentum in India, former Miss Universe and actress Sushmita Sen was asked to comment on the uproar at the recently concluded Bombay Times Fashion Week.

The actress said that she is proud of women who are speaking out. “Sahi samay toh tabse tha jabse aurtein iss duniya mein aayi hain, sahi samay kal ya parson nahin tha. But I am proud of everyone (referring to the women who have come out with their #MeToo stories) and it is not just a gender bias about women alone. I think the fact that our society, our people are all standing up to express themselves... their voice is so powerful... the fact that I get to see that in my lifetime, makes me proud as a woman and human being,” she said.

When asked if these incidents have left her shocked, Sushmita said that the fact that people have remained silent for so long is even more shocking. “Shocking har baar hi hota hai, but we are not ignorant people. It’s not like we never knew that these kind of things were happening, but what is even more shocking is that we did not listen to it for so long and did nothing about it,” she shared.

Talking about whether the movement is also paving the path for character assassination, Sushmita said that if 50 people are accusing the same person of sexual misconduct, there has to be some truth to it. “This is just the start and we have to listen. You have to believe and you have to understand that if one person accuses someone, then maybe it’s false, but if 50 people accuse the same person of the same thing, then there has to be some truth to it. You have to listen to people, give them a fair trial and let justice prevail,” concluded Sushmita.