#Metoo Campaign Removes Shame Associated With Incidents: Kajol

Actor Kajol on Tuesday hailed the #MeToo campaign that has intensified across the country, saying the movement has taken away the shame associated with incidents of sexual harassment.

Asked about the campaign at a film promotion event here, the popular Bollywood star said, "To take away the shame and embarrassment that people feel over an incident which happened in their lives, that exactly is what I think happened with this particular movement."

The #MeToo movement has gathered momentum with more women recounting their experiences of sexual harassment in the entertainment and media industry.

"The most important thing is by taking away the shame, the people have come to a position to draw the line and have the chance to say 'no more after this'," she told reporters.

The movement started in India after actor Tanushree Dutta alleged that well-known actor Nana Patekar sexually harassed her on the sets of a movie in 2008.

Kajol, who is portraying the role of a doting mother in her upcoming release 'Helicopter Eela', feels in today's world, parents cannot help but be protective about their children.

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Asked whether she is equally protective about her children like the protagonist in the film, she said, "I like to believe a little bit of both - protective and cool... I think the world has changed and you can't help but be protective."

The popular Bollywood star said parents take interest to discuss and explain certain topics to children. "I believe somewhere down the line we underestimate our children... We would love to discuss and explain certain topics to our children... To make them understand this is ethical and this is not, this is correct and this is not," she told reporters here.

Talking about the film directed by Pradip Sarkar,the 44-year-old actress said, "This is definitely a tale of mother and son but this is also a tale of 'rishtey' (relationship). The relationship manifested between husband-wife, between brother-sister, between best friends."

She said the title 'Helicopter Eela' was derived from the term "helicopter parent", someone who takes excessive interest in the life of his/her children.

"She (Kajol's character) is ever-curious, possessive, checks everything. The film poses the question whose fault is it, mom or son?" the 'Baazigar' actor said.
"The character is new as I had never portrayed such a role in a film, but I have seen this kind of paranoid, over-enthusiastic mother in real life a number of times," Kajol said.