A year since #MeToo, but moguls yet to be ousted

Campaign eventually found its way from a mere hashtag to a full-fledged global movement

KARACHI: The time of reckoning is here.

It’s been a year since Twitter lit up with one hashtag that brought the rich and the famous of entertainment industries to their knees; metaphorically, of course.

A year since Hollywood starlet Alyssa Milano requested everyone, who has been subjected to harassment, molestation and assault, to use the term ‘Me Too’ in order to “give people a sense of magnitude of the problem.” One year on and here we are, listening to stories of victims from around the world.

PHOTO: DEADLINE

#MeToo eventually found its way from a mere hashtag to a full-fledged global movement.

But Milano wasn’t the first woman to use the said term. The history of ‘MeToo’ dates back to 12 years when Tarana Burke, a woman of colour, created the phrase in hopes to help survivors of sexual violence, particularly young African American females from low income families.

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What neither Milano nor Burke might have comprehended was that their concerns would eventually open a Pandora’s Box leading to the downfall of some of the biggest names in the world. When Rose McGowan accused Harvey Weinstein last year, 80 more women - including famous A-listers such as Angelina Jolie, Uma Thurman, Ashley Judd - came forward with their grievances against the Hollywood mogul.

So, what have we actually achieved since the movement gained momentum? For starters, Weinstein has been stripped of his position in Hollywood and is currently facing charges of rape and harassment.

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Shifting our focus towards the East, India is roaring with its #MeToo stories. In recent days, more than a dozen complaints of sexual harassment have been filed against prominent journalists, actors, film-makers, comedians and other public figures.

In Pakistan, however, we had hoped that after a celebrated singer came out with her #MeToo story about a local film industry bigwig, it would encourage other women to fearlessly name and shame their assaulters. Sadly, we are yet to witness progress when it comes to openly talking about ‘Me Too’ in the country. But here’s the silver lining: These victims are awakened and they won’t be terrified into silence this time.

The time of reckoning is here. Finally.

HOLLYWOOD

Although Burke was the one to have coined the phrase MeToo, it was Milano who brought it to life over a decade later; urging people to come forward with their stories after Judd became one of the first to accuse Weinstein.

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October 5, 2017 marks the beginning of Weinstein’s turmoil; with Judd creating a snowball effect. From then on, countless victims started coming forward with their tales, alleging the movie mogul of sexual misconduct, harassment, rape and what not.

However, accusers didn’t just stop at Weinstein; many other Hollywood bigshots were sucked into the wrath of #MeToo. Actor Kevin Spacey was accused by singer-actor Anthony Rapp who claimed that the House of Cards star made sexual advances towards him when he was 14. And with time, one accusation augmented into 15.

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Renowned publications soon begun using their authority to take a stand and create awareness. Time Magazine was the first to do so by naming ‘Silence Breakers’ its Person of the Year in December 2017. With so much happening within a matter of months, it comes as no surprise that #MeToo became such a prevailing phenomenon in the following year.

The first day of 2018 witnessed the formation of the Time’s Up movement, created by more than 300 female Hollywood celebrities. This anti-harassment coalition came in response to #MeToo and the ‘Weinstein effect’.

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From the Golden Globes stage to Chicago-based kitchens, talks of harassment were all over America. The #MeToo and Time's Up movements were also ever present at this year’s Oscars Ceremony, with three major Weinstein complainants speaking about the effects of the producer’s downfall.

Claims against Weinstein continued but his lawyers tried their luck by citing comments previously made by renowned actor Meryl Streep - who had said Weinstein was always respectful in their working relationship - in his favour. But Streep didn’t let them get away with it and affirmed that Weinstein's use of her statement as “evidence that he was not abusive with many OTHER women is pathetic and exploitive." Eventually, the movie magnate turned himself in.

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Singer Mariah Carey was the first and only woman to have been accused of sexual harassment with both her female manager and male bodyguard alleging her of inappropriate behavior.

Morgan Freeman was the next heavyweight to be blamed as eight women alleged that he sexually harassed them or made inappropriate remarks. Footballer Cristina Ronaldo is the first major sportsman to have been hit with rape allegations this year.

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Nonetheless, the biggest ‘achievement’ of this breakthrough movement occurred this September, as comedian Bill Cosby became the first celebrity, of the #MeToo era, to be jailed for his wrongdoings. Although allegations against him date back to 2005, his retrial and sentencing have transpired in 2018.

BOLLYWOOD

A year after #MeToo started in Hollywood, the movement gained momentum in India. Actor Tanushree Dutta, who had long stayed silent on her horrific ordeal, revealed that veteran star Nana Patekar had harassed her on the sets of Horn ‘Ok’ Pleassss back in 2008. And while Dutta voiced her concerns earlier, she was shushed and threatened by the governing political parties of the time.

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Her claims were put into limelight by eye witnesses of the incident, who used Twitter to their advantage to spread the message. Many celebrities lauded Dutta’s bravery and Kangana Ranaut also mustered up the courage and accused Queen director Vikas Bahl of harassment as well. As a result, Bahl’s production house Phantom Films, which he co-owned with other film-makers was dissolved.

Along with Rajat Kapoor, Indian comedian Utsav Chakraborty was also accused of sending indecent messages to women. He had asked a minor to send him nude photos. The next day, famed writer Vinita Anand accused Indian TV actor Alok Nath was accused of rape.

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A few hours later, cofounders of All India Bakchod (AIB) Tanmay Bhatt and Gursimran Khamba were also called out for making indecent jokes targeting women. Singer Kailash Kher, composer Anu Malik and author Chetan Bhagat have also been named in India’s list of sexual predators along with Sacred Games writer Varun Grover. Later, film-makers Subash Ghai and Sajid Khan were also accused by multiple women.

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While many victims did come forward sharing their experiences of sexual harassment, it was the female journalists in India who took it upon themselves and get some dirt on the accused. Their investigation was not only limited to names from the showbiz industry, but also included the likes of newspapers editors and politicians.

On the legal front, the Producers’ Guild of India has decided to set up a committee that will address any issues pertaining to cases of harassment. They will even sack the accused if proven guilty. As of Tanushree’s case, Maharashtra Commission for Women issued an official notice to Nana and asked him to revert in 10 days.

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Even Tanushree herself filed an FIR against the accused on October 10 under the Indian Penal Code. On the other hand, Cine and TV Artistes Association (CINTAA)’s general secretary Sushant Singh has stated that a show-cause notice will be sent to Alok as well.

As a result of the allegations, Rajat’s Kadakh and AIB’s Chintu Ka Birthday were pulled back from screening at the Mumbai Film Festival. Film-makers Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane (co-owners of Phantom Films) issued statements apologising for not taking action against Vikas earlier. However, in a turn of events, Vikas sent legal notices to them saying that the two were tarnishing his image in the industry.

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Sacred Games 2 is also reported to have been cancelled after accusations of harassment rose against Varun. Taking a firm stand, superstar Aamir Khan also decided to step away from his next production in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Akshay Kumar who was working with Sajid on Housefull 4 has also halted filming and the accused’s sister, Farah Khan said that if proven guilty, he will have to make amends. Will it initiate the fall of some of Bollywood’s big guns? Only time will tell.

PAKISTANI FILM INDUSTRY

In recent occurrences, #MeToo reached East and is now taking over the subcontinent.

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Pakistan’s small-scaled #MeToo movement emerged when two women accused music streaming giant, Patari’s, CEO Khalid Bajwa on April 11 this year on social media. The women posted screenshots of their conversations with Bajwa, implying harassment by the latter.

Patari promptly took action, and the CEO stepped down. The company has issued an official statement regarding the incident on its Twitter page today, confirming that Bajwa will no longer be part of it. Patari also tweeted that investigations have been underway before the allegations came forward. After a while, the chaos died and all was well.

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A week after allegations on Bajwa surfaced, Meesha Shafi - a huge name in Pakistani music – accused her colleague and local superstar Ali Zafar of harassing her on not one, but numerous occasions. Shafi took to Twitter to share her ordeal. She then filed a case against the Teefa in Trouble star under the Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2010.

Zafar, later in a statement categorically denied all claims made against him and filed a defamation suit against the Aaya Lariye singer. The two then opted for legitimate route and are currently embroiled in a legal battle.

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A month later, in May, a male model accused male bigwigs of harassment in the fashion industry. In a series of posts Mujahid Rasul put up on his Instagram, using the hashtag #MeToo and #WeToo, the model revealed, "I have been struggling this field for 7-8 years which has been an experience full of harassment.”

He went on to call out the culture of sexual misconduct in the industry as many fashion mogul ask models for racy pictures and how everything had to be done on their own terms. Just when we saw a light and hoped it was about time to address such sensitive issues, Rasul later deleted his post.

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On October 11, social media influencer, Junaid Akram was alleged of misconduct by several girls. Speaking on terms of anonymity, the apparent victims claimed that they were harassed by Akram via messages and meetings. There were also reports of him hushing the alleged victims. Akram categorically denied all allegations.

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