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Tanushree Dutta Controversy: Don't Reduce Her Allegations To 'He Said, She Said', Says Chetan Bhagat
Chetan Bhagat said it would be wrong to reduce actor Tanushree Dutta's sexual harassment allegations against Nana Patekar to a "he said, she said" story.
Chetan Bhagat said it would be wrong to reduce actor Tanushree Dutta's sexual harassment allegations against Nana Patekar to a "he said, she said" story. Bhagat said it has become a broader issue and needs to be addressed for good now. Last week, Tanushree Dutta spoke about facing harassment at the hands of Patekar during the shooting of Horn OK Please in 2008.
"A girl has felt offended and I think we should listen to her. It is for her to decide what actions she wants to take, what she wants -- apology, something more. I don't really know what actually happened there, sometimes it can be a misunderstanding and sometimes it can be a deliberate thing... but whatever, we should listen to her and not kind of question her," Bhagat told PTI.
Her Allegations Are Not New & Were Made In 2008 As Well
Tanushree Dutta's allegations are not new but there are people who have questioned her by saying 'Why did she choose to speak after ten years', which, according to Chetan Bhagat, is not justified. "If somebody was wrong then, he is wrong today as well."
It Was Only A News Item Back Then
"She spoke it then also ten years back - it is just that now we have social media and we didn't have it then. Now more people are talking about it and that time it was just one news item," he added.
India's MeToo Movement Is Yet To Begin
Bhagat, however, stopped short of calling Dutta's story India's #MeToo movement. He said India still doesn't have the culture of women speaking out against such incidents. "There's no girl that I have met, who has travelled by Indian trains in three-tier or two-tier and not been molested. Of course, the same is the case with metros and DTC buses here."
The Movement Will Come To India Pretty Soon
"The movement (#MeToo) which has taken the west by storm, has not come in India. Yes, it will come here. But as of now, the cases that we have got to hear so far are from Bollywood only -- famous people basically. However, I am sure similar things are happening in banks, media, ad agencies also," he said.
It's A Woman's Choice!
The 44-year-old author said people in India should understand the simple basic thing related to consent: "Women will decide who will touch them and who would not". Bhagat has come up with a new book, titled "The Girl in Room 105: An Unlove Story". Published by Westland, it is Bhagat's first attempt in thriller genre. Set in contemporary India, the book talks about obsessive love.
(Inputs From PTI)
