Sexual harassment scandals have rocked Hollywood. The New York Times and The New Yorker took the lid off Weinstein’s history of sexual abuse, encouraging prominent women such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan to open up about the disgraced producer. The scandal led to the expose of other Hollywood heavyweights.
While in Bollywood, many have been vocal about the issue, superstar Salman Khan said he had never heard about casting couch in the industry. Talking about the same issue, actress Richa Chadha said while it is brave of people to accept that sexual harassment happens in Bollywood, one cannot take their names as there is no guarantee of getting work after.
However, when asked about the Harvey Weinstein case to Aamir Khan, here’s what he had to say:
“I think sexual harassment is a very sad thing to happen to anyone, irrespective of what your sex is. Sexual harassment is just not on,” he said.
Such cases, he said, happened not just in the world of films, but in other areas, too.
“I understand that people are free to be romantically involved with whoever they want. But you cannot pressure a person into being with you physically. It happens not only in films but in all walks of life and is very unfortunate,” Aamir, who is currently shooting for “Thugs of Hindostan” in Thailand, told PTI in an exclusive telephonic interview.
Aamir said sexual harassment should not be looked into isolation as it is connected to larger issues of how gender roles have been defined in society. “It is connected to the larger issue. Not only in India but all over the world, (it is) this thinking of patriarchy that men are stronger or are more important that leads to various kind of things. Sexual harassment is one of them,” he said.
Aamir believes that artistes help mould opinion. “Creative people do have a role to play in showcasing men and women in a manner that influences people in the right way. I do believe we have some sort of responsibility in that,” he said.
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