Sonam’s rationale: “When the dam breaks, everything comes out”

By Nichola

on January 30, 2018

“My views on sexual harassment are not only restricted to Bollywood but for women around the world. We all have a responsibility to speak out against abusers, and it is society’s responsibility to stand by us and hear our voices,” wrote Sonam Kapoor. The PadMan actress had been interviewed by the BBC Asian Network’s Haroon Rashid, wherein she spoke out strongly about the ongoing silence from Indian actresses about harassment in Bollywood.

Analysing the issue, she said, “There are three points to it – a lot of women don’t realise what’s going on and what’s happening to them, because they think that it’s okay and it’s alright, because it’s like a subconscious thought. That’s the conditioning we’ve gone through. Number two – it’s also because we’ve been taught to keep quiet, act dumb, pretend it didn’t happen, laugh it off. Or third – it’s victim blaming. If something happens to you, it’s your fault.”

Asked if she believes there is still a large stigma around victims of sexual harassment and abuse, and if actors/ actresses are scared of losing their careers over outing someone, she said it was a combination of the two. “I think it’s both – it’s not only about losing your careers, it’s also losing face in society. We’re still backward in that way, we don’t talk about it at all.”

https://twitter.com/sonamakapoor/status/958216387909922817?s=08

https://twitter.com/bbcasiannetwork/status/957690455013122050

Broaching the topic of the discussion around Aziz Ansari and whether the article was a justified calling out, Haroon asked if she thought there was a risk of it turning into a witch hunt, which is what some people have referred to it as. Looking visibly distressed, Sonam replied, “I think it’s very awful that we are calling it a witch hunt but it’s important for it to go the other way. There’s a deafening silence and suddenly when the dam gets broken up, everything comes out… But eventually it will all level again. The truth always comes out eventually, always.”

…A lesson the abusers had best not forget.