Yup, even I did a double take. The thought of Alok Nath pontificating again made me wonder if I had been transported inside a VCR player from two decades ago. And this time, he will be acting in the role of a judge – yes, a judge – who apparently lectures us on sexual harassment. Stop. Rewind. Did I hear that right? Yes. In fact, the reaction of pretty much anyone I shared this news with was to sort of twitch and say Whaaa? Is this a joke?
Not only has the father of all mansplaining, with tear jerking, guilt tripping and treacly patriarchy rolled into one, returned to the podium in 2019, he has been handed the mic after the most stinging sexual harassment complaint to have been levied against an Indian actor.
Which makes me wonder. Are lecterns made for lying? I mean, surely it takes a special kind of masterclass to cloak yourself in do-good-i-ness and face an audience that knows the very likely real you! Is it the thrill of playing characters as far flung from the real you that is the real rush?
Or is it that the man has just been typecast? So typecast that preaching that which he allegedly does not practice is the only role he is able to get. So let him have it, he himself begs with:
“It’s a puny role for poor producers, let it release.” - So said Alok Nath to Mumbai Mirror.
But not many felt it should.
Well, maybe not such a smack-you-in-the-face snub, but certainly more knife-twisting ironies have come our way lately. Like these...
Women having to to deal with defamation cases against them...
Just the fact that a woman who has called out her alleged harasser has to be the one to bear the brunt of a defamation case and then defend herself in the case reminds us a little of ye olde mythology, what with agniparikshas and all. Don’t we just love putting our women through tests, long after they have passed their 10th standard exams...
Which makes you think, no wonder women don’t really want to come forward with their stories, because who knows the consequences they would have to face... which explains cryptic messages, and irony-soaked posts that land perfectly for a jaded female audience that is hungry to see its feelings represented.
And then there is the very real possibility of losing work...
It’s easy for many to expect a woman to name the person she is talking about, but clearly she has had reasons not to, like any of us who chose not to name people who have behaved badly.
And Why? It’s because we might not be ready to deal with the punishing process which is basically an undermining of our truth, that took so much courage to tell. But will this new spree of #Me Too irony silence us? Sorry, no. It will give us more reason to keep championing those who had the guts to say something. Anything.
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