Tanushree Dutta, who accused Nana Patekar of sexual abuse while filming 'Horn 'Ok' Pleassss' in 2018, recently opened up about rejecting films from directors accused in the #MeToo movement.
Tanushree Dutta dropped a bombshell on the Hindi film industry in 2018 when she accused Nana Patekar of sexual misconduct for a second time. Her accusations that the veteran actor had sexually abused her on the sets of their film, Horn 'Ok' Pleassss not only made headlines but started the industry’s #MeToo movement. With all eyes on the Malayalam film industry because of the Justice Hema Committee report, the movement is gathering momentum once again. Tanushree has now come forward about how speaking up has affected her career.
The #MeToo movement was supposed to revolutionise the industry. However, in the six years since it started, all it has done is put a damper on the careers of the actresses who spoke up about their abuse. Tanushree Dutta recently had a tell-all interview, in which she talked about how her career has suffered since she came forth with her accusations.
Tanushree revealed that acting opportunities had simply stopped coming her way, and she is not the only one to feel these repercussions. Malayalam actresses and founders of the Women in Cinema Collective, Parvathy Thiruvothu and Rima Kallingal, have also seen work opportunities fade away after opening up about their alleged harassment.
Despite being in a tough spot work-wise, Tanushree Dutta knew her stance on the #MeToo movement was far too important to compromise. According to the actress, a change can only happen when all actors take a stand for the cause. She told News18 Showsha:
“What’s needed is for every single actor willing to make a little sacrifice for a cause. In December 2018, I got offered a movie by a very big producer. She has made some of the biggest films. But her director was a #MeToo accused name and I promptly refused the opportunity. Who’s losing in this bargain? Me. I haven’t done film work in a long, long time.”
Tanushree also spoke about the domino effect that came out of turning down that film. According to her, she was relegated to doing appearances and brand events as any decent project she signed would be targeted. She revealed:
“I do appearances and brand events only. I want to do lead roles in films about women empowerment. But since his name came up during #MeToo, I didn’t want to take that offer up. Such an episode happened again after a couple of years. In between, I had signed some decent projects but I was targeted very badly and my projects were sabotaged.”
Tanushree experienced a similar incident when she was approached with a Bengali film that could revive her career in the industry. However, despite initially loving the story and role, Tanushree was compelled to turn it down when she found out the director’s name had come up in the movement.
Tanushree also boldly stated that the filmmaker likely only tried to work with her to salvage his own reputation. Without mincing her words, she told News18:
“He thought that #MeToo ko kaafi time ho gaya hai and that if he casts me in his film, it will give the impression that I’m siding with him. He wanted to change his image through me. Maybe, he also thought that since no one is working with him in Bengal, he would work with a Bollywood actress and create a bigger profile for himself.”
What do you think about Tanushree Dutta’s shocking revelations? Let us know.
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