Bollywood makes for excellent theatre; when a celebrity is at the centre of a scandal, its dramatic impact is multiplied manifold. Actor-model Tanushree Dutta’s allegations of sexual misconduct against macho Marathi star Nana Patekar have ballooned into a full-scale ‘Sex, Lies and Videotape’ show.
The Dutta-Patekar affair is doubtless giving other celebrities the heebie-jeebies, lest it cascade into a series of #MeToo takedowns. Indeed, Dutta was apparently inspired by #MeToo, the campaign which began in Hollywood in 2017. The hashtag hurricane claimed such heavyweights as Kevin Spacy and Harvey Weinstein.
The central feature of the #MeToo movement is that the charges of assault were made long after the fact. In Dutta’s case, she had accused Patekar of harassing her on the sets of a film in 2008, but dropped the matter thereafter, only to take it up again last month. Adding excitement to the whole affair is a video of Dutta’s car being attacked by Patekar’s fans in the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), after she staged a walk-out to protest against the actor’s unwelcome attentions.
The film industry is now being called upon to take sides. Political correctness demands support for Dutta and many actors and entertainers have backed her. On the other hand, the principles of natural justice say Patekar should be treated as innocent until proven guilty. Therein lies the rub, because Dutta says she had filed a police complaint in 2008, but nothing came of it.
Further spicing up the issue is TV celebrity chef Padma Lakshmi’s claim that she was a victim of ‘date rape’, 32 years ago. This spawned a fresh series of revelations under the “WhyIDidntReport’ hashtag. Fear, guilt and a feeling of powerlessness prevent victims of sexual assault from speaking up after the incident. Silence may stem from an instinct for self-preservation, because to take up the case is to relive it, over and over. Most women (or in the case of Kevin Spacey, men) don’t have the bandwidth to endure the unending trauma.
The trouble is that staying silent does not mean moving on. The victim never really puts the trauma or anger that the perpetrator ‘got away with it’, behind her. And when she does revisit it many years later, it is at the risk of being accused of publicity-seeking and victimhood. The lesson is to speak up, because you will never be at peace unless you do.
When Dutta first spoke up, she found no support within the film industry or from law enforcement agencies. Going to court, or enlisting the aid of activists, would have led to a prolonged battle. But the world has come a long way since then. Five years ago, a gutsy young reporter took down the highly influential editor-in-chief of a weekly newsmagazine, by standing her ground in the face of overwhelming odds. She also made it clear that the degree of assault did not matter. Whether it’s a slap on the bottom (as in the case of the late KPS Gill and IAS officer Rupan Deol Bajaj), aggressive groping or outright rape, women must operate on the principle of zero tolerance. No form of disrespect or invasion of personal space is acceptable.
The biggest transformation, of course, has been the aggregation of victims on social media platforms. In the digital world, there is no curator or firewall of disapproving peers/relatives to prevent the victims from sharing their stories. There’s a certain safety in numbers, which encourages them to speak up through #MeToo. The sense that a supportive cyber-sisterhood is out there, which hears you but does not judge you, can result in a cathartic experience. You may wind up being trolled, but for every heckler there will be a dozen supporters.
More than most other modes of protest, #MeToo is a double-edged sword with an inbuilt potential for misuse. It can be used to serve the cause of justice, or to inflict injustice. It is a powerful weapon that must be handled responsibly. Parading exaggeration as truth, or blatantly cooking up allegations, merely to settle scores or gain five minutes of fame, will undermine the credibility of the movement and the social media as a whole. For instance, at least one of the three women who recently accused the US Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct has told a story riddled with sufficient holes to cast doubts on her testimony.
Nor is the social media community judge, jury and executioner. That power lies with the organs of State. Dutta had made a formal complaint; she was not heard until she took to social media. Now, it is for the State to step in and conduct an investigation to determine whether Patekar was maligned, or Dutta victimised.
Bhavdeep Kang is a senior journalist with 35 years of experience in working with major newspapers and magazines. She is now an independent writer and author.
