The #MeToo movement has stirred up quite a storm and it’s finally hit Bollywood. More and more women are coming out of their shells and speaking up of the sexual misconduct and harassment that they have faced over the years by some of the most renowned faces in the country. A lot of celebrities have been accused of sexual harassment, the latest among the lot are Alok Nath, Vikas Bahl, Nana Patekar, Sajid Khan and Anu Malik.
While the motive behind the #MeToo campaign is to empower women to come forward and not be afraid…stories of sexual harassment are never easy to narrate. Unfortunately, most women have had encounters of sexual harassment and it’s not easy to decide what to do next. Do you speak up? Do you forget that it ever happened? Do you take action? We live under the fears of reputation and society and judgement!
Bollywood has always had a bad-rep for sexual harassment. A number of bigwigs from the industry are known to be ‘serial offenders’. The incidents get buried and women are urged to forget about it and look the other way.
In a recent post shared on Twitter by celebrity hairstylist, Sapna Moti Bhavnani pointed a finger at Amitabh Bachchan. There have been rumours surrounding the superstar’s reputation and a lot of women associated with the industry have spoken about Amitabh Bachchan’s alleged misdemeanours behind closed doors. But no one has come out and reported it yet. In her tweet, Sapna encouraged women to come forward and tell their stories.
“You will pay” she said to Amitabh Bachchan.
you will pay! #MeToo #MeTooIndia https://t.co/Oi4MqGb1hz
— Sapna Moti Bhavnani (@sapnabhavnani) October 12, 2018
In another post, she says, “This has to be the biggest lie ever. Sir the film Pink has released and gone and your image of being an activist will soon too. Your truth will come out very soon. Hope you are biting your hands cuz nails will not be enough”
This has to be the biggest lie ever. Sir the film Pink has released and gone and your image of being an activist will soon too. Your truth will come out very soon. Hope you are biting your hands cuz nails will not be enough. @SrBachchan #Metoo #MeTooIndia #comeoutwomen https://t.co/gMQXoRtPW3
— Sapna Moti Bhavnani (@sapnabhavnani) October 11, 2018
While Sapna said that she has not been sexually harassed by Amitabh Bachchan, she knows many women who have.
i woke up and social media has gone viral with posts of me accusing Bachchan of sexual misconduct..he hasn’t done anything to me..Clearing this NOW..but i know many that he has … my post is just to encourage those women to come out. #MeToo #MeTooIndia #AmitabhBachchan
— Sapna Moti Bhavnani (@sapnabhavnani) October 13, 2018
Since that post, Sapna’s twitter has been abuzz with tweets from supporters urging women to come forward and speak up.
Kudos to you for sparking this conversation. Stories of Mr Bachchan’s misbehaviour, even on advertising sets and shoots, abound. #MeToo is not about affairs gone wrong. And neither is this. This is plain downright harassment and predatory behaviour at workplace.
— poonam/thakur (@peas_to_pods) October 13, 2018
And I truly hope they SPEAK UP. #IfNotNowThenWhen
— TEJAS SAMBARE (@tejasambare) October 13, 2018
More power to you Sapna!
Featured Image: Instagram
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