YouTuber and comic Utsav Chakraborty has found himself in the eye of a storm for multiple allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against him. A well-known face in the industry, Utsav is associated with Indian comedy sketch group All India Bakchod (AIB) and was flagged on Twitter by a user after he ironically condemned the reported misconduct of Indian men on a certain cruise.
Since then, he has been slammed by many, including fellow comedians. The Twitter user who accused him said:
“Saw this on my timeline, interesting for you to comment on how Indian men harass women. Irony is still alive and thriving. Did they send unsolicited dick picks or that’s safely only your territory?”Twitter user who was the first one to call Utsav Chakraborty out.
Is That Even An Apology?
Utsav made an attempt to apologise for his actions in a long Twitter thread, but received further flak by Tweeple for what most described as a ‘nopology’.
Here is one such tweet that received quite a lot of backlash:
In his apology, the point people objected to the most was his use of mental health issues as a reason for his actions. Twitter users were enraged when the comic tried to shift the blame and pointed out the fact that his claims undermine individuals who are suffering from mental health issues.
“Again, Where is the Apology?”
The Bigger Picture
Following the initial allegations against Chakraborty, more women have spoken up and written about their ordeal – how they were harassed by the comic. In the light of the #MeToo movement, Twitter users also celebrated the strength of every woman who’s come forward and confronted those guilty of sexual misconduct.
Sending Unsolicited Nudes Is Not OK!
The user's tweet led to other instances of misconduct being called out:
Phantom Film Shuts Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations
Anurag Kashyap tweeted on 6 October that Phantom Films, a production company started by him along with Vikramaditya Motwane, Vikas Bahl and producer Madhu Mantena in 2011, has now folded up.
The production house and its partners came under the scanner in 2015 much before the #MeToo movement gathered momentum or Tanushree Dutta spoke up against Nana Patekar. A woman crew member accused Queen director Vikas Bahl of sexually assaulting her during a promotional tour of the then readying-to-release Bombay Velvet. No steps were actually taken by Phantom Films against Bahl.
However, now the survivor and Anurag Kashyap in interviews to Huffington Post, have opened up about the incident once more. The survivor has shared the horrific experience she went through with Bahl following which he kept harassing her till she quit the organisation, and how when she shared it with Kashyap, he didn’t really do anything about it. Others too corroborated her story.
These are just a few among the many allegations springing up online. More and more voices are speaking up, even as we write this. Time’s up?
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