Prabhakar Kulkarni
The news that Saroj Khan and Renuka Chawdhary have come forward to disclose that casting couch is almost a routine matter in the film industry and politics or parliament, has created a stir in the concerned circles. But these two women have triggered the much awaited
Me#Too movement in Indian scenario at par with the world outburst by the bold women who have disclosed facts with personal experiences.
Since affairs with the American president Donald Trump were flashed in the world media, there was an interpretation that American free life and culture is suiting to what is going on there. But later France and other countries followed suit and high level personalities were not spared by women who boldly told what was so far suppressed. The sequel of the world movement in India was a matter of discussion and a few articles surfaced in regional language and national English media. But the disclosure has so far been merely a matter of gossiping type without any confirmatory tone so much so that most women who know the truth preferred to be silent and keeping the secret truth in their own personal files.
The bold media-columnist Shobha De has harped on the movement. If I remember right she has disclosed in one of her columns that the Indian film world is much rich in the stories relevant to the Me#Too movement. She has stated that a number of would be actresses have opened their secrets to her though she preferred not to say much moreon their expressions.
Now the Chawdhary-Khan duo has come with open disclosure and perhaps have started the movement which may or may not push further in our Indian environment. Why only film and politics or parliament ? There are number of other fields like media and the big corporate world where such stories abound and they need the authentic narrators. Will they come forward now that the two have dared to do?
We journalists know such stories with a reliable authenticity. But the media withholds with fear of defamation suits, though matters of public interest are immune to any action under the defamation Act. But media organizations are not ready to take risks. Even a defamation suit fails in the corridor of a court as the person who files the suit is more defamed if the court matter and questions raised during interrogation are flashed again in media. These court reports are more explosive that the original story by which he or she feels defamed.
Despite this fact regarding a defamation case ( I have faced a defamation case by a doctor who withdrew instead of continuing further when court reports were reported in press ) the media owners are not normally ready to face the case. The movement in other countries is going on without any such prohibitory factors, though legal battle there is more for compensation for the secrecy than for any defamation.
But the whole topic relates to man-woman relationship. While man has made the system of marriage and other restrictive social practices, the basic relationship trend which is more genetic than depending on choice or compulsion should be viewed in proper perspective. The inherent thirst for pleasure is quenched in a variety of ways, the casting couch being one of them. The movement may disclose facts and secret relations of high level personalities and India is as much rich in such stories as other countries are. But despite our women’s freedom movement, self-disclosure of the global type is not considered suiting to our psyche. Still the two and the earlier few including the Telgu film actress Sri Reddy have set the ball rolling and let us see whether it moves further or halted in a defensive mind-set.
(The author is a senior Journalist and Columnist)
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