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EXCLUSIVE: Imran Khan on Me Too Movement: I believe it will not happen in Bollywood; Names are too big
Actor Imran Khan spoke to Pinkvilla exclusively and reveals the big wigs don't take a stand as they don't want their hands to get dirty. Read the full interview to know why he thinks Bollywood will never witness a Me Too movement.
Amidst all the #MeToo movement taking place in India, the Indian Film Industry and Bollywood, in particular, has become the nucleus of all the skeletons that are falling out of the closet. With Alok Nath, Vikas Bahl, Varun Grover, Anurag Kashyap and Tanmay Bhatt to name a few being accused of either sexually harassing a woman or keeping mum over a complain, victims are speaking up and are naming and shaming the ones who have been in power. Interestingly no one has named any big celebrity yet. Is it just a matter of time or will the Me Too Movement never really gain momentum in its true sense?
Out of many Bollywood bigwigs we tried to connect with, only actor Imran Khan agreed to talk. He usually keeps away from the media glare but was surprisingly open about the Me Too Movement India is witnessing right now. Imran did open up to a newspaper of knowing about Vikas Bahl earlier. When we got talking, it wasn't the actor Imran but Imran Khan the member of the big Bollywood industry who spoke to us honestly. He was very vocal about how he is fed up and bothered with the silence that Bollywood still chooses to hold amidst all the sexual assault allegations. Read the excerpts of the interview and why he thinks that Bollywood will never witness the Me Too Movement.
So last night was interesting...
PinkVilla: When did you get to know about the Vikas Bahl story and why didn't you speak up earlier than this?
Imran Khan: This story was doing the rounds within the film industry literally for about 2 years. I don't know who the girl is and also her name hasn't come out. The initial newspaper report came out last year I believe and by then everyone had heard about this. Nothing has been proved right now but it was an open secret in the industry and no one did anything about it. That is what troubled me. A couple of my friends have been a victim of sexual assault, both industry and non-industry friends. When we were kids a friend of mine was subject to sexual assault of a grave manner, that wasn't an industry friend but even the actresses I have worked with, it has happened to them too. These things bother me at a very visceral personal level. So I would have this conversation with people and say we have heard the story and what is the deal and they would say 'aree don't worry, don't say that', everyone would become very uncomfortable and avoid any eye contact with me because we don't talk about these things. It is the film industry and close to the ranks, we don't admit anything. We are talking about sexual abuse, we are talking about sexual assault and you can't turn a blind eye. I have seen and heard enough of these stories over my 10 years in the industry. Unfortunately these are not my stories to tell so I can't take names and go into the details but I know I have seen it and I have seen the reaction of everyone around and all the times I have tried to speak and say you should complain about this and this is unacceptable, I have been told by everyone around me don't speak about this publicly, this will go bad. People will attack you, the industry won't support you, people will abuse you of being publicity hungry, all of it.
PinkVilla: Now that you have spoken up, people think that you are doing it to gain limelight and come back into the news. What do you have to say about it?
Imran Khan: This is a very popular defence that this person wants publicity, especially when you are talking about sexual assault, it is the most small-minded defence what you can think of. If you truly believe that someone is so desperate for publicity that they will out themselves as the victim of sexual assault then you are a very sick and a deranged person. It shows your small mindedness.
PinkVilla: Is this hypocrisy of Bollywood that has put you off and hence we don't see you mingling with your contemporaries or your colleagues?
Imran Khan: That's more of a personal thing. Working in Bollywood means you are trying to maintain a Bollywood stardom. Acting is different, stardom is different. In order to maintain your Bollywood stardom, you have to socialise. Party with directors, producers, actors and get journalists to write good things about you. All of this takes a lot of time and energy which I am not interested in doing. I am interested in the craft of filmmaking. More than anything, from the beginning of the career I have kept my personal life away. I am not interested in partying with the industry people three nights a week. I don't want to be with the correct set of people at the correct place, I have my own things to do, I have my own life. But coming to your context, the sexism in the industry, it is an open secret of how things go to a point. In every film, you will see systematic sexism. It might be at a very small level, it might be at a level where people on the sets might not even realise unless you are attuned to it and it can go far far far worse.
Dubai trip went well... As you can see! #kanganaranaut #kattibatti #dubai
Pinkvilla: But there have always been names that float around when we hear of sexual misconduct incidents that happen in Bollywood? Have you ever witnessed or know of a big actor who has taken advantage of female actors?
Imran Khan: There is a very very very clear quid pro quo with a lot of A-listers. Are you going to sleep with me? If yes you get the role, if no you don't. It is literally that straightforward. Which of these actresses will sleep with me they will get the role. But why name only recent actors, go back 40 years, the biggest directors/producers have all done it, their names have never come out and they will never come out either. The fact is even within the industry whoever speaks out they will be attacked or will be marginalised. I am a man who has faced none of these issues but I have witnessed it. I am in a position where no one has molested me or nothing bad has happened to me even though when I speak out now I am afraid that there will be a section of the media who will turn it against me, a section of the industry or the public who will turn it against me. But imagine the position of the woman who has been a victim who does not have the kind of backing that I have. I come from a film family, I have a lot more support around me. Imagine you have none of these things and if you are a woman who has been attacked, molested or raped, your career is over your life is over. You are trying to get justice and the world is turning on you. I cannot stomach that. I have far fewer things to lose, the least I can do is stand up and say look I will stand with you.
Shooting for @vogueindia today. Lots of fun!
PinkVilla: Why do the biggest names in Bollywood choose to stay silent when questioned about such incidents? For example, Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and even Salman Khan were asked about Tanushree Dutta-Nana Patekar case and he chose to not comment. Why do they remain mum?
Imran Khan: I really can't say why any individual person does not want to speak. But overall it is this. There is no way but to get your hands getting very very dirty. I told a journalist also yesterday that look I have been silent and it bothers me. And I feel it is wrong by staying silent. Particularly with this one actor I have seen and the way other actresses are treated. It happens in the industry and I have seen it in front of me. This one director kept showing me certain photos of an actress and said 'dude check this out' and it made me uncomfortable so I thought that dude firstly these pictures shouldn't be on your laptop and you are winking at me which is creepy. You wouldn't do this with a male actor.
PinkVilla: You belong to a film family which also includes the biggest superstar of the Indian film industry, Aamir Khan. Over the years have you discussed these things with your family or him over family dinners?
Imran Khan: We are not really plugged into films so when we meet as a family there is no remotest of discussion about films. We keep that separate. It has never come up in that context. That being said I am the way I am because of my family. Because they raised me with certain principles and certain ideals and certain thoughts on how one should conduct oneself. And all of us in our family are raised with the idea that all of us must hold ourselves to higher standards.
PinkVilla: Do you think the Me Too Movement will ever find its place in Bollywood in full force, the way it did in Hollywood?
Imran Khan: I believe it will not. No. The names are too big and too prevalent and it is way way big and woven into the fabric of the industry. My opinion is for that a lot of names will come out and a lot of people will bear the brunt of it but I don't think it will affect things at the higher up level. At this point all the names that are out, the big names are Tanmay Bhatt and Alok Nath so this is the level we are at right now. You and I both know the names go much much much higher. But those actresses whom I have worked with or the victims who have been harassed, if they chose to recognise themselves as it is their story to tell and if they can out themselves and name the people whom I am talking about then I will stand by them. That is the very least I owe them. I will say that look I was there and if you ever speak up please know that I am on your side and I will support you.
PinkVilla: Now that you have spoken out, are you prepared what this will snowball into?
Imran Khan: The interesting thing is the attacks that you speak of reach you because of social media. I don't have Twitter or Instagram or a website. I don't get any subscription or papers and I realised it has freed up a lot of my bandwidth. I don't consume any news nor do I know which films are releasing.
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