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A guy on set asked if I needed a back rub after I hurt my back: Radhika Apte shares her #MeToo story

A guy on set asked if I needed a back rub after I hurt my back: Radhika Apte shares her #MeToo story

Apte says that the main cause of sexual harassment in the entertainment industry is the "power game"
16 Sep, 2018

What would it take for Bollywood to confront the harassers and exploiters in its midst?

According to Pad Man actor Radhika Apte, the answer is as simple (and as complicated) as providing a "good support system" to those coming forward with their stories of harassment.

Speaking at a talk organised by an Indian publication, Apte said that the main cause of sexual harassment in the entertainment industry is the "power game".

"Be it religious, sexual or economical [inequities] - it happens everywhere. Nobody wants to lose their power."

She also opened up about experiencing sexual harassment herself: "I can share one incident that happened recently, I had actually hurt my back and it was badly sore. We did the shoot and I was heading back to my room with another guy who was in the same lift. He was part of the film but we had not spoken much. He said that, 'Let me know if you need me in the middle of the night for help, I can come and give your back a rub.'

"But the good part was that the atmosphere on the sets was so easy and comfortable, I told the filmmakers and they had a meeting with him in person. Then I came to know that the culture that he comes from is such that he didn't realise that he made me uncomfortable with that statement. However, later he never made me feel uncomfortable and apologised."

Apte also referred to harassment as "a grey area" and acknowledged that both men and women face harassment in the industry, adding that "we need a good support system" and should "come out of our fears."

Comments

Zala Sep 16, 2018 10:57am
All women should register their complaint. Women tend to think that nothing would happen, which is true in most cases but it takes a lot to bring about change.
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Gossip Sep 16, 2018 12:15pm
Good girl. She didn't wait twenty years to report.
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