Bollywood: A Conspiracy Of Silence

When actress Tanushree Dutta reminded Indians of the alleged sexual harassment she suffered at the hands of Nana Patekar a decade ago on the sets of Horn Ok Pleassss, Bollywood professionals didn't respond with #MeToo but #IBelieveHer.

- Suhani Singh

The hashtag is proof that Bollywood is far away from following Hollywood’s example in opening the can of worms that led to producer Harvey Weinstein, actor Kevin Spacey, comedian Bill Cosby, to name a few, losing favour with the public and the entertainment industry—and face legal action. Ethical Bollywood is content still lifting only stories and plotlines.

Dutta’s story gained some traction only after Janice Sequeira, then a reporter with Aaj Tak and Headlines Today, validated her account, which, in turn, was further backed by the film’s assistant director Shyni Shetty. It’s their tweets that got Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, Sonam Kapoor and Swara Bhasker to come out and support Dutta. But even after this, and despite the nods and winks and asides, the industry seemed locked together in a conspiratorial silence.