#MeToo Movement: One More Accuses Alok Nath, Bollywood Steps In For Full Support

Thanks to the spark of the MeToo movement in Bollywood that has given so many women the courage to come up and share their stories. It all began when Tanushree Dutta accused veteran Bollywood actor Nana Patekar of sexually harassing her while they were shooting for a movie 10 years back. Women have now started calling out different celebrities like actor Alok Nath, director Vikas Bahl among others.

It came as another big shock when actress Sandhya Mridul also accused actor Alok Nath of sexual harassment. She shared how Alok Nath forced his way into her hotel room and made her uncomfortable on the sets. Following that, actress Deepika Amin was the third woman to accuse Alok Nath of sexual harassment. She tweeted, “Everyone in the industry knows that #AlokNath is an obnoxious drunkard who harasses women. Years ago on a telefilm outdoor shoot, he tried to barge into my room. He slobbered over women, drunk and created a scene. The unit rallied around me and made sure I was safe. #metoo”

Actors like Aamir Khan are strongly supporting the women who are calling out during this movement. Aamir stepped out of Subhash Kapoor’s Mogul as he has a pending sexual harassment case on him. He spread the word on Twitter with this message:

“As creative people we have been committed to foregrounding and finding solutions to social issues, and at Aamir Khan Productions we have always had a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual misconduct and predatory behaviour of any kind. We strongly condemn any act of sexual harassment, and equally we condemn any and all false accusations in such cases. Two weeks ago, when traumatic #MeToo stories began emerging, it was brought to our attention that someone we were about to begin work with has been accused of sexual misconduct. Upon enquiry we found that this particular case is subjudice, and that the legal process is in motion. We are not an investigative agency, nor are we in any position to pass judgement on anyone - that is for the police and judiciary to do. So, without casting any aspersions on anyone involved in this case, and without coming to any conclusions about these specific allegations, we have decided to step away from this film. We do not want our action to reflect in any manner on the people involved in this case.We believe that this is an opportunity for the film industry to introspect and take concrete steps towards change. For far too long women have faced the brunt of sexual exploitation. It has to stop. In this regard we are committed to doing any and everything to make our film industry a safe and happy one to work in.”

Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who also once spoke up about her abusive relationship shared, “When it comes to helping women find their voice, find the strength, feel confident about sharing their stories, it’s not about the current time. This has been going on since a lot of time and I am glad it has found a certain momentum today.”

READ MORE: Tanushree – Nana Patekar Controversy: Bollywood Actors Finally Start Speaking Up

Hrithik Roshan too came out in support and his upcoming movie, Super 30 which is produced by Vikas Bahl’s production house, Phantom Films has been postponed. Hrithik tweeted, “It is impossible for me to work with any person if he/she is guilty of such grave misconduct. I am away and have access to only sporadic information. I have requested the producers of Super 30 to take stock of the apparent facts and take a harsh stand if need be. This is not to be hushed or brushed under the carpet. All proven offenders must be punished and all exploited people must be empowered and given strength to speak up.”

With the MeToo movement gaining momentum, it is great that celebrities are coming out to make such changes. With this change, surely Bollywood will be able to make it a safer workplace for women.

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