Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; October 7, 2018)

Last month, Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of sexual misconduct and revealed how she was made uncomfortable on the sets of Horn Ok Pleassss in the year 2008 while shooting a song. The controversy has spiralled into a much-needed discussion about preventing sexual harassment at the workplace.

After Hrs met Malaika Arora after the launch of her new show India’s Next Top Model, and she spoke at length about the issue. She said, “I’ve been following Tanushree’s case. What makes me sad is that people, and even the media, have been highly irresponsible as far as this incident is concerned. These are times where you should have a united front. I didn’t like the fact that many of them were questioning her about why she spoke 10 years later. How does it matter whether she spoke then or now? The fact that she’s speaking up should be respected. Obviously, it’s something that she’s dealt with a lot, over a period of time. That upset me the most. We should appreciate and applaud the fact that somebody’s finally sharing their story.”

Malaika also added that professions like acting and modelling are viewed in a certain light by the society at large. “We are preconditioned to think that women in these industries aren’t of great calibre or character. It’s disgusting. We need to realise that sexual harassment happens in every industry and wherever it happens, regardless of the space, it’s wrong. Why should a man or woman have to put themselves into a situation like this, thinking that they have to go to a hellhole every morning? Workplaces definitely need to be made safer,” she reasoned.

She pointed out that there are several women out there who are still afraid to come out in the open. She adds, “There is a deep sense of fear within most of them when it comes to talking about such situations or experiences that they have been subjected to.”

“Women feel that if they speak up, they will jeopardise their career and everybody will cast aspersions on their character. The first step is to talk, but unfortunately, if you do so, you are vilified for it or made to feel less of a person. We need to clap for her (Tanushree) for being able to overcome this hurdle,” she said.

Malaika observed that it’s a broader discussion that needs to happen on a nationwide level. “We are living in a country where there’s noise, but nobody’s willing to do anything about it. Change will come only when everyone acts upon things like these. The mindset needs to transform. But is that going to happen overnight?” she asked, before continuing, “No, because it stems from a certain pre-conditioning, whether it’s lack of education or the ‘ladka kabhi galat nahin kar sakta’ norm we follow. That’s the kind of society we live in. Agar problem hai toh ladki ki hi galti hai. She must have worn a small skirt or gone out late at night. Nobody turns around and blames the guy. Once that changes, you’ll hopefully see a lot of transformation in the country.”