#MeToo movement is gathering a lot of support and a lot of people are coming forward and sharing their stories. Some Bollywood celebrities like Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Kumar, Ayushmann Khurrana and many others also came forward to support the movement. And now, even Karan Johar has spoken about the same in his radio show Calling Karan.
Speaking about the movement, he said, “So how do you get consent? You ask for it! You have to ask, ‘Are you ok with this?’ or ‘Do you want to do this’. It’s important for people to understand both, the verbal as well as the non-verbal communication they get from someone they’re with. These are the basics; basics that we often tend to forget. When you come close to someone when you’re about to get intimate, how can you not ask for consent?” He also touched upon some of the things people do online that counts as harassment especially when it is unsolicited. “Sending someone pictures of your private parts is also not cool! Kissing someone or touching them inappropriately while they’re drunk, is not cool. Persisting with flirtatious texts, even after someone has explicitly expressed discomfort, is definitely not cool! You must respect the boundaries that others set for you, and that’s precisely what you ask for consent, and always respect the answer.”
Karan further also spoke about how important consent is, he said, “While asking for consent is important, it is also important to know how to give consent” he elaborated. “It’s important to say YES clearly if you are okay with it, and more importantly, it’s ok to change your mind at any given point of time without feeling the need to give an explanation. If you feel uncomfortable and you can withdraw your consent and just say ‘NO’.”
Karan than spoke about how Sex minus consent equals sexual harassment, he stated, “Sex minus consent equals sexual harassment! That’s the math, and it can’t be any simpler. And hence, it’s really important to keep asking the question, and always respect the answer.”
You can catch Bollywood producer Karan Johar’s radio show ‘Calling Karan’ on Ishq 104.8 FM.
