Women should speak about harassment: Farhan Akhtar

As the debate around gender-based discrimination intensifies across the world, Bollywood actor and director Farhan Akhtar remarked that women in the film industry should speak about harassment.

Farhan, who is also a part of Men Against Rape and Discrimination [MARD], has partnered up with director Feroz Abbas Khan and Population Foundation Of India, for Bas Ab Bahut Ho Gaya campaign.

According to Indian media, Farhan said: “... if someone has an incident or a story to share, this is the perfect environment, world over, for you to come out and share it. You will be doing yourself a favour, other women a favour and even other men a favour... There have been young men, who have said that they were abused.”

He added: “It is important for women who have been subjected to this to speak out. I think wherever there is an industry, wherever there is power dynamics at play, be it the corporate world or the films, there will always be these issues, unfortunately.”

He also shared that opening up about harassment will not affect survivor’s career in the movie industry.

“The one thing that I can tell you about the film industry is that there is no question of anyone getting out of films and not being taken into work because they have come out and spoken honestly about something. They will always find work, if, and there is a slight ‘if’ that applies to everybody - to those who have never been harassed and to those who have been - the fact is that it is all about demand and supply... It has nothing to do with that (speaking out).”

He remarked that people who have opened up always found support. “When someone has come out and spoken about people who harassed them, there has been a reaction to it. It may not be the kind of reaction you expect, maybe you wanted more, maybe you expected more, but there has been a reaction to it.”