Preity Zinta was one of the actors who very courageously stood up against her ex-boyfriend Ness Wadia and filed a molestation case against him. This was back in 2014. Cut to 2018, Tanushree Dutta has accused Nana Patekar of sexual assault and since then we have seen the #MeToo movement suddenly picking up in India. It has encouraged women to come out with their experiences of sexual harassment.
The Quint asked Preity what she thinks of this movement. She says we are in a stage right now where we have acknowledged the fact that there is a problem, and admitting that there is a problem is the first step towards solving it. She stands up for the survivors who have been constantly shamed for opening up about their experiences.
It’s really sad when people turn around and say that this woman is lying and she is doing it for publicity because no woman does it for publicity.Preity Zinta
She goes on to talk about how opening up gives the survivor much negative backlash and it’s a traumatic experience. She wants people to be more compassionate towards people who are opening up and sharing their experiences.
Being in the film industry for twenty years Preity admits that she has never experienced sexual harassment at the workplace but she is very well aware that it does exist.
One should not get into this finger pointing thing with the girl, I don’t think that’s cool.
At the same time she agrees that we are humans and we do make mistakes. It won’t kill someone to accept their mistake and apologise.
Being publicly shamed is tough. If he apologises, I don’t think you should hang the guy for it. We all make mistakes, we are humans. But for the future let’s not make these mistakes.
While people think the film industry is unsafe for women, Preity has a different point of view. She says that the film industry is the safest place for women because here women have a voice, there is a spotlight on the women and there is media who will listen to them.
I can tell you a lot of business environments and lot of other places where women are being terribly discriminated but they don’t have any voices. No media will take their interview.
She also has a few suggestions for women in the film industry who have faced or are facing similar harassment at their workplace.
First of all if someone is really bothering you, instead of going to the media and doing a media trial, go to the police. Second, make sure you have thick skin because get ready for everyone to troll you. Another thing is when something like this happens it’s important to immediately take a stand.
Other than all this she emphasises the fact that people around the survivor need to have much more compassion and sensitivity.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)