Actor
Preity
Zinta
says
that
she
is
a
huge
supporter
of
India's
#MeToo
movement
and
would
slap
any
person
who
tried
to
harass
her,
apologising
for
her
remarks
on
the
campaign
that
has
led
to
the
downfall
of
many
in
the
Indian
film
industry
and
outside.
Zinta,
who
has
been
slammed
on
social
media,
said
her
recent
comment
to
an
entertainment
website
was
taken
out
of
context.
"I
wish
I
had
(faced
sexual
harassment)
I
would
have
an
answer
to
tell
you," she
said
controversially
in
the
video
interview.
Clarifying
her
remarks,
which
led
to
a
backlash
from
people
from
all
walks
in
life,
Zinta
said
in
a
media
statement
that
she
did
want
the
movement
to
be
diluted
with
false
accusations
as
her
brother
(a
cousin)
went
through
it
and
eventually
shot
himself.
"My
reason
for
saying
'I
wish
something
like
this
would
have
happened
to
me' in
the
film
industry
with
a
smile
was
because
I
would
have
reacted
and
slapped
the
person.
So
it
never
happened
and
much
later
when
it
happened
I
did
react
&
the
whole
world
saw
it,"
she
explained.
Zinta
said
she
was
a
"huge
supporter
of
the
movement"
and
it
was
unfortunate
that
some
of
her
comments
were
taken
out
of
context.
The
actor,
who
is
currently
promoting
her
film
"Bhaiyaji
Superhit",
also
put
her
comment
--
"Aaj
ki
Sweetu,
kal
ki
MeToo
ho
sakti
hai"
--
in
context.
"The
Sweetu
&
MeToo
comment
was
not
mine
but
I
was
quoting
a
man,
which
implied
that
men
are
now
cautious
in
their
approach
to
women
at
work.
The
reason
I
was
smiling
in
the
interview
was
because
it's
an
interview
and
I
was
doing
movie
promotions."
The
actor
said
she
recognises
not
everyone
is
in
a
position
to
fight
back
and
she
does
not
want
to
"marginalise"
women
who
have
been
abused.
While
women
should
not
be
victim
shamed
and
be
encouraged
to
come
forward,
men
cannot
be
automatically
vilified
either,
she
said.
"If
the
#Metoo
movement
has
to
really
be
the
change
then
then
men
have
to
support
it
too.
I
have
seen
both
sides
of
the
coin
and
I'm
very
hurt
and
sad
I
have
to
write
such
a
long
clarification
specially
after
advocating
and
fighting
for
women's
rights
all
my
life.
"I
hope
in
the
future
there
is
more
trust,
specially
from
women
because
if
we
don't
stand
together
there
really
is
no
movement,"
she
said.
The
#MeToo
movement,
which
began
in
Hollywood
a
year
ago,
has
seen
thousands
sharing
their
stories
of
sexual
harassment.
In
recent
months,
#MeToo
has
been
gaining
momentum
in
India
with
women
calling
out
comedians,
journalists,
authors,
actors
and
filmmakers.
The
movement
has
resulted
in
the
fall
of
stalwarts
such
as
Nana
Patekar,
Alok
Nath,
Sajid
Khan,
Subhash
Kapoor,
Vikas
Bahl,
Subhash
Ghai,
Anu
Malik
and
Rajat
Kapoor.
Credits
-
PTI