6 Bollywood beauties who were brave enough to talk harassment
These actors truly took one for the team!
PHOTO: FILE
Just like everyone else, celebrities also have to deal with their fair share of molestation and sexual abuse. There have been many instances when Bollywood stars have opened up about their experiences which prove that even the high and mighty are not spared and that the social evil.
Fortunately, some of them have set an example by being brave enough to talk about it. As compiled from Yahoo!, here are some inspiring Bollywood actors who took one for the team and spoke their minds against the prevalence of sexual harassment.
Rekha
In her biography, it was revealed at Rekha was once kissed without her consent by an actor named Vishwajeet, on the sets of their film Anjana Safar, back in 1969. And what’s worse is that poor Rekha was just 15-years-old at the time and had no idea she would have to do an intimate scene in the film!
Kalki Koechlin
In a recent interview with NDTV, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani star Kalki admitted that she was sexually abused as a child and that it took her years to overcome her fears and finally speak up about it.
Sonam Kapoor
Sonam was allegedly molested at the age of 13, while at the movies with her friends, by a man who came from behind and touched her inappropriately. “I started shaking and shivering and didn’t know what was going on. I started crying right there,” said the Bollywood fashionista. “I didn’t speak about it. I just sat there and finished watching the film because I felt that I had done something wrong for the longest time.”
‘Domestic workers suffer abuse under govt’s nose’
Twinkle Khanna
In a recent column for Times of India, Twinkle wrote, “A few years ago, a message on my phone reduced me to tears. I had reached breaking point after months of suggestive messages from a wealthy, powerful client that I’d been pretending not to understand because I wanted to complete our project in a professional manner.”
The actor continued, “And so, I opened up the statistic – that 38% of women who faced sexual harassment at work. I am a fairly assertive woman, married to a man who onscreen punches holes in walls with his bare fists. Yet, I haven’t been spared. So I shudder to think about what happens to the vast majority of working women.”
Kangana Ranaut
Now, Kangana is well-known for being a firebrand but even she is not immune from abuse. At the launch of journalist Barkha Dutt’s book The Unquiet Land, the Queen superstar recalled a time when she was abused physically and hit by a powerful certain someone in Bollywood in the early days of her career.
Kangana went on to shed light on this one time when she was stalked and also hit by another man from the industry who used to act as her mentor and godfather. She was only 17 years old at the time.
Esha Deol
A man once tried to take advantage of the crowd that had gathered for the premiere of 2005’s Dus and got extremely close to Esha, misbehaving with her. Luckily, the Dhoom beauty realised what he was trying to do, slapped him and walked away.
And rumour has it that she struck the man so hard that he fell and landed a couple of feet away from where he had been standing! “I did it out of self defence,” Esha said later. All we can say is…you go, girl!
Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.
Fortunately, some of them have set an example by being brave enough to talk about it. As compiled from Yahoo!, here are some inspiring Bollywood actors who took one for the team and spoke their minds against the prevalence of sexual harassment.
Rekha
In her biography, it was revealed at Rekha was once kissed without her consent by an actor named Vishwajeet, on the sets of their film Anjana Safar, back in 1969. And what’s worse is that poor Rekha was just 15-years-old at the time and had no idea she would have to do an intimate scene in the film!
Kalki Koechlin
In a recent interview with NDTV, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani star Kalki admitted that she was sexually abused as a child and that it took her years to overcome her fears and finally speak up about it.
Sonam Kapoor
Sonam was allegedly molested at the age of 13, while at the movies with her friends, by a man who came from behind and touched her inappropriately. “I started shaking and shivering and didn’t know what was going on. I started crying right there,” said the Bollywood fashionista. “I didn’t speak about it. I just sat there and finished watching the film because I felt that I had done something wrong for the longest time.”
‘Domestic workers suffer abuse under govt’s nose’
Twinkle Khanna
In a recent column for Times of India, Twinkle wrote, “A few years ago, a message on my phone reduced me to tears. I had reached breaking point after months of suggestive messages from a wealthy, powerful client that I’d been pretending not to understand because I wanted to complete our project in a professional manner.”
The actor continued, “And so, I opened up the statistic – that 38% of women who faced sexual harassment at work. I am a fairly assertive woman, married to a man who onscreen punches holes in walls with his bare fists. Yet, I haven’t been spared. So I shudder to think about what happens to the vast majority of working women.”
Kangana Ranaut
Now, Kangana is well-known for being a firebrand but even she is not immune from abuse. At the launch of journalist Barkha Dutt’s book The Unquiet Land, the Queen superstar recalled a time when she was abused physically and hit by a powerful certain someone in Bollywood in the early days of her career.
Kangana went on to shed light on this one time when she was stalked and also hit by another man from the industry who used to act as her mentor and godfather. She was only 17 years old at the time.
Esha Deol
A man once tried to take advantage of the crowd that had gathered for the premiere of 2005’s Dus and got extremely close to Esha, misbehaving with her. Luckily, the Dhoom beauty realised what he was trying to do, slapped him and walked away.
And rumour has it that she struck the man so hard that he fell and landed a couple of feet away from where he had been standing! “I did it out of self defence,” Esha said later. All we can say is…you go, girl!
Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.