For those of you who are avid followers of Indian cinema, neither Saroj Khan nor Shyam Benegal are likely to be unknown names. For those of you who are human, neither sexual harassment nor the power dynamics that aides it, are likely to be unknown issues. And yet, way too many people in the film industry don’t seem to wholly understand how any of those things work. In fact their world view regarding their hallowed profession, men, toxic masculinity, and the vulnerability of a female working in a world where most positions of power are held by men, are so skewed, it may cause a sudden onslaught of migraine.
After Saroj Khan defended the culture that enables casting couch and kick-started a controversy, Rajya Sabha TV hosted a segment about it on their show, The Big Picture.
In case you’ve been trapped in the matrix pod for the last few days, here’s the lowdown on what she said. Khan, when questioned about Telugu actress Sri Reddy’s decision to strip to protest the practice of casting couch, had this to say: “(The perps) do not rape and leave you. It is up to the girl, what she wants to do. If you don’t want to fall into wrong hands, you won’t. If you have talent, you will not have to sell your body. Don’t take the film industry’s name, it is everything to us.”
Saroj Khan defends casting couch
To sum it up: a) casting couch is basically consensual sex and provides livelihood, b) nobody will ask you for sexual favours if you have talent, c) how dare you point fingers at the film industry. Needless to say, Khan’s comments were met with derision and heavy criticism.
Or so I thought.
On The Big Picture’s panel were actress Moon Moon Singh, film critic Rana Siddiqui Zaman, model Sonalika Sahay, journalist Anna Vetticad and filmmaker Shyam Benegal; and boy, did it make for an enlightening session. Today I learned that not only is patriarchy wildly corrosive, its gnarly roots sometimes run so deep, trying to talk people out of it is virtually impossible. Vetticad learned that the hard way when she tried repeatedly to explain how sexual harassment and rape culture works, but she was clearly fighting a losing battle.
Sample these magnificent gems:
“There is always a thin line between a free spirited (sic) and a casting couch. From (sic) time immemorial it [casting couch /sexual harassment] has been happening around the world everywhere. It’s there in education, politics, in crime, in sports.. everywhere. The problem is we get to highlight the film industry because it happens to be the larger-than-life space (sic).”
— Rana Siddiqui Zaman
Rana Siddiqui
Translation: Some people have ‘loose morals’ (free spirited, much sista?), so what do you even expect? Sexual harassment has been going on for years so what to do, ya? Also, since there sexual harassment in other fields also so please stop demonising the film industry.
Or this:
— Moon Moon Singh
Moon Moon Singh
Translation: Ingrained patriarchy makes me think that when a man in a position of power asking a much younger subordinate, she should have her wits about her in that obviously horrifying moment to refuse. It also makes me believe that if women believe in their talent they will not be subjected to sexual assault.
Sonalika Sahay
Sahay, the only other sane voice on the panel seemed dazed at what she was hearing, Vetticad, seemed angry. And yet, she seemed resigned as she took one for the team and took on the mantle of explaining how sexual harassment works to the two women.
Anna MM Vetticad
From citing the example of the Malayalam film industry, where actresses started their own version of the #TimesUp initiative last year called Women in Cinema Collective to trashing their claims that talent or the lack thereof, had anything to do with the practise of sexual harassment in return for work. Salma Hayek, Lady Gaga, Ranveer Singh, Radhika Apte, Swara Bhaskar, Ayushmann Khurrana have all spoken up about their experience with it. Are we really saying these guys have no talent?
Watch this @rajyasabhatv show for #ShyamBenegal‘s comments. Summary: #sexualharassment (euphemistically termed “casting couch”) happens to people without talent.I was also a guest so I’ve already responded to the iconic director’s disappointing insensitivity. You too, Sir? #MeToo https://t.co/b3mqfvbf1v
— Anna MM Vetticad (@annavetticad) April 26, 2018
But the proverbial shit didn’t hit the fan till Shyam Benegal, the filmmaker who gave us Ankur for gods sake, turned out to be just as mortal as the misogynist guy next door. When asked if he thinks the issue of casting couch ails the film industry, he engaged in such fabulous whataboutery that he left us reeling.
“Things don’t happen in a one-sided way in any of these things you know,” declared Benegal, much to our chagrin. “I’ve heard about the casting couch business and I don’t know how much of it is true and how much is not. I’m sure there is a certain amount of truth in it. But the fact is, when people work and they are professionals and they are talented, there is no need for a casting couch, it’s as simple as that. If there’s no talent around and people still want to get into the business there may be people who want to take advantage… those things happen in any profession it’s not just the profession of filmmaking,” he continued.
Shyam Benegal
Gas-lighting (“I don’t know how much of it is true”), victim blaming plus ingrained misogyny (“If there’s no talent around and people still want to get into the business”), and downright denial that there’s a problem that needs to be fixed (“those things happen in any profession”). All in all, everything we never imagined Shyam Benegal could think, let alone say out loud.
Two days ago when the trailer of Sanju was dropped, actor Ranbir Kapoor was questioned about the issue as well. He said he’s never faced it, before succumbing to the severe case of sniggers that seemed to have attacked Vidhu Vinod Chopra with a vengeance. It is this same sentiment that’s echoed by Benegal during this discussion. “I personally have not faced it in my own sphere of work,” says he. Well congratulations, sir. But does that mean we can now happily dismiss the experiences of those who have?
Malayalam film industry’s gone a tectonic change with women demanding that they be treated with respect, Telugu film industry’s trying at least, but the rest of India, including Bollywood seems to live a fairy world where bad things only happen onscreen.
But time’s truly up, Bollywood. About time you said, #MeToo.
