Mumbai, May 31
As 'Homebound' cinematographer Pratik Shah faces serious accusations of sexual misconduct, filmmaker Hansal Mehta has called for an inquiry into the matter.
The 'Aligarh' maker took to his X timeline and penned a note stressing that silence against such predators must be broken.
Hansal wrote, "Abuse thrives in silence. It festers in fear. Predatory behaviour by men in positions of power must be investigated thoroughly, and if found true, must be called out — unequivocally, and without delay. For too long, predators have weaponised influence, privilege, and fear to silence survivors. That silence must be broken."
However, Mehta clarified that the abuse of power is not specific to any particular gender.
"Women in positions of authority, too, have inflicted harm. Abuse has many forms. It is not always sexual. Mental, emotional and psychological abuse can be just as scarring. Just as violating", he wrote.
Demanding a system in place to voice such unfortunate incidents, Hansal went on saying, "Workspaces — especially creative ones — often cloak toxicity in the name of ‘passion’ or ‘genius.’ That must stop. No art, no film, no script is worth the cost of someone’s safety or sanity. Victims need voice. They need redress. They need a system that listens — and acts. Accountability is not cancel culture. It is culture correction."
His note concluded with, "We owe it to ourselves, and to those who come after us, to make our spaces safer. Cleaner. Kinder. Call out the predators. Call out the habitual abuser. Hold them accountable. Let no power be above decency."
In the meantime, breaking their silence on the matter, Dharma Productions shared that the banner maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment.
They further cleared the air saying, “Mr. Pratik Shah was a freelancer on the project Homebound and was working on it for a limited period. His engagement with us has been completed. During this limited period, our internal committee for POSH didn’t receive any complaints against him from any cast or crew on our film Homebound.â€
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally someone powerful speaking up! Our film industry needs this cleansing. Too many big names get away with harassment because victims fear losing work. Respect to Hansal Mehta for taking a stand 🙠#MeTooBollywood
While I appreciate Hansal's statement, why only speak up now? Many knew about these issues for years. Bollywood's selective outrage is problematic. Hope this leads to real change, not just virtue signaling.
"No art is worth someone's safety" - This hit hard. Our industry glorifies toxic behavior as 'passion'. Remember how we made heroes out of abusive directors? Time to change that mindset. Kudos to Mehta for speaking truth!
Dharma's statement seems like damage control. "Freelancer", "limited period" - sounds like they're distancing themselves rather than addressing the issue. Production houses need to take responsibility for everyone on set.
Important that Mehta mentioned abuse isn't limited to sexual harassment. Emotional and mental abuse in creative fields is rampant but rarely discussed. The 'tortured artist' stereotype needs to die. Mental health matters!
Hope this leads to proper POSH committees being functional in all productions, not just on paper. Many small crews don't even have this basic safeguard. Let's make our film sets as professional as corporate offices!
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.