Taapsee Pannu defends Anurag Kashyap
Bollywood actor Taapsee Pannu has come out in support of director Anurag Kashyap, who was recently accused of sexual assault. The Thappad star has promised that she will be the first person to break all ties with Kashyap if he is found guilty, reported Hindustan Times.
“If he is found guilty, I’ll be the first person to break all ties with him. But if the investigation is inconclusive, how can the sanctity of the #MeToo movement be sustained? How will real victims benefit from a power that’s come to us after years of suppression? It’s wrong for women to derail the movement. Abusing power isn’t gender-specific,” Pannu was quoted as saying.
Adding on, the actor praised Kashyap’s character, especially with respect to women. “Anurag has a lot of respect for women and never badmouths anyone even if that person hasn’t been kind to him in public. His is one of those rare sets where the number of women on the crew equals men, and they only have nice things to say about him. If someone has been harassed, let them initiate an investigation, let the truth come out,” Pannu stated.
Last week, actor Payal Ghosh alleged that Kashyap sexually harassed her five years ago. According to the former, Kashyap had ‘forced himself’ onto her. But since she went public with the accusations, many like Pannu have come out to defend the director, even calling him “the biggest feminist.”
Kashyap’s ex-wives Kalki Koechlin and Aarti Bajaj are among those who have vouched for his character. Bajaj, in Twitter post wrote, “First wife here. You are a rockstar, Anurag Kashyap. Keep empowering women as you do and the safest place you create for all of them. I see it first hand with our daughter. There is no integrity left and the world is full of losers and no brains baying for blood of anyone who has a voice. If everybody spends the energy which they use in hating others constructively, this world will be a better place.”
Echoing the same sentiments, Koechlin praised the film-maker for the many instances wherein he has stood up for women. “You have fought for the freedom of women in your scripts; you’ve defended their integrity in your professional space, as well as in your personal life. I have been witness to it,” she said. “In the personal and professional space you have always seen me as your equal, you have stood up for my integrity even after our divorce, and you have supported me when I felt unsafe in a work environment even before we got together,” Koechlin added.
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