Mend Your Ways Brother! Farah Khan Tweets About #MeToo Accused Sajid Khan 

With many women accusing director Sajid Khan of sexual harassment, Farah Khan condemns her brother’s behaviour, and tweeted in support of all the women hurt by him.  

Cinema is one such industry that has often been considered very unsafe for women. Parents spend sleepless nights if their daughters aspire to become actresses, directors or wish to take up any other role in the film industry. The belief is that women are just glam dolls, there is very less respect for them, and of course that there is widespread sexual harassment, abuse, casting couch and what-not!   

Looking at all the cases that are coming into light, it certainly seems as if these beliefs may have a basis in truth. With #MeToo movement raging wild there is now some hope that there will be a change in the entertainment industry.      

What came as a pleasant surprise, though, was Sajid Khan’s own director and choreographer sister Farah Khan’s tweet in support of all those women accusing her brother. It’s a massive change, and a little difficult to believe, because when Tanushree Datta opened up about Nana Patekar, who is a part of their upcoming movie Houseful 4, without taking any action the crew had happily gone abroad for a shoot. Farah Khan had even tweeted a happy picture with Nana and other cast members of their departure.  

This is a heartbreaking time for my family.We have to work through some very difficult issues. If my brother has behaved in this manner he has a lot to atone for.I don’t in any way endorse this behavior and Stand in solidarity with any woman who has been hurt.

— Farah Khan (@TheFarahKhan) October 12, 2018

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But now things and situation appear very different. Even Akshay Kumar, the lead actor of Houseful 4, stayed quiet when Tanushree accused Nana Patekar. Tanushree questioned Akshay’s wife Twinkle Khanna’s support to her as Twinkle’s husband was shooting with Nana then. Yet, Akshay didn’t respond. But now after the many accusations against Sajid Khan, Akshay has asked for, and got the shoot schedules cancelled for the time being. Due to all the pressures, even Sajid Khan himself has stepped down as the director of the film Houseful 4. Isn’t this a change in the power dynamics? Yes, it is indeed!

pic.twitter.com/deSRvNnkAA

— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) October 12, 2018

Why do you think there was such blatant sexual harassment in the industry? Why were women mistreated? Why were films unsafe for women? Is it because they were the easy targets of men with huge power like Sajid Khan, Vikas Bahl, Subhash Ghai? But with #MeToo there is a shift in power. It’s not just these men who are powerful anymore, women with their voice and a platform like social media to speak up are gaining better agency.          

A woman often stays quiet and suffers in silence for years. But there definitely comes a time when she decides to take it no more and stands up for herself. With movements like #MeToo, her determination would be even stronger because she is not alone. There are thousands of women out there just like her, who have suffered in the hands of power, ready to stand up for each other.  

So, dear men, beware! You might be a director with 100 successful movies, an actor with 50 awards, a writer with crores in your bank account or a comedian with million fan followers; if you ever illtreat any women thinking that they are ‘weak’, you’ll never be spared for sure.         

Image Source –  Wikipedia, Bollywood Hungama [CC BY 3.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons

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