Five years ago in October, the #MeToo movement rocked the world and now it is back in limelight. This time its Sajid Khan and his participation in reality show Bigg Boss Season 16 that has met with resistance. Sajid has been accused by nine women of sexual harassment. His selection in Bigg Boss has earned the ire of many, including actors Ali Fazal, Mandana Karimi, Sherlyn Chopra and Saloni Chopra, and singer Sona Mohapatra, who have all sought his eviction.
Five years on, has the movement lost steam or is it a slow and steady change in the right direction? “Sad that men will get away with anything due to their fame, wealth and power,” says actor Somy Ali. “Any country where society is set up to benefit the patriarchal system makes it literally impossible for such movements to sustain…When the gender is a traitor, it is next to impossible for any justice to prevail,” adds Somy, who maintains that her interactions with Sajid were always cordial. “He was extremely respectful with me. But this goes to show that we never know what lies beneath the surface of any individual,” she says.
There needs to be some consequences, insists Somy, “Giving the perpetrators of crime a platform such as Bigg Boss is absolutely wrong. These people are ‘enablers’ for all the wrong reasons because they are members of the same club. Let’s not forget that men are victims of similar acts too.”
Actor Amal Sehrawat blames it on weak legal system: “Power game is very strong here. #MeToo did become a talking point but not too long, after everyone stopped taking it seriously.”
Writer, producer and director Vinta Nanda is appalled by the development, “The channel has taken Sajid only to grab eyeballs and increase their TRPs. This is prime example of deep-seated patriarchy in our system.”
Nanda insists that she would have stood by the channel had they made Sajid apologise to the women who accused him in #MeToo on day one. “I have nothing against Sajid. Had he said sorry to the women he has wronged,it was okay; if he does now, it does not matter.”
As for no convictions in India, Nanda adds, “We had no legal framework to report the excesses in any of the cases that surfaced in #MeToo. But that’s not the case anymore. Vishakha Guidelines and POSH Act 2013 are being implemented now; even if not a 100 per cent, at least there is awareness”
Actor Samaira Sandhu feels strongly for the cause and that no predator should go scot-free. “Any victim of #MeToo is carrying the wound lifelong. No predator should be let off that easily. About time we stand with the right and stop victim-blaming; that’s the way forward.”