Exclusive | Shweta Bachchan-Nanda On #MeToo Movement: It’s not just enough to listen, believe, you have to do something about it

In the wake of the #MeToo movement that created a stir in the Indian Film Industry post Tanushree Dutta’s allegations of sexual harassment on Nana Patekar, many Bollywood celebrities have now come forward to talk about this issue. Inspired from the west, the #MeToo campaign in India has sure gained heat with several women gathering the courage to point out sexual perpetrators and shaming them on social media for their untoward behaviour. 

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Joining the bandwagon is Shweta Bachchan-Nanda, who in an exclusive interaction with Republic TV, expressed her views on how listening is not enough and that people need to do something about it. Here’s what she has to say: 

“I think it’s about time that people spoke up and shared their stories. And then it’s upto us to support them and make sure things like this  don’t happen in the future. To give women a safe space and environment where they can come out and talk about these things and then we need to help them. It’s not just enough to listen, believe, you have to do something about it. You need to educate people about  sexual offenders, sexual predators, the blurred lines, what a woman means when she says no, things like that. I think it should be a part of school curriculum, companies. This is important and it needs to be explained, addressed and educated. 

The last few days have seen many survivors coming out and speaking about the horrifying incidents they suffered and kept mum about. Producer Vinta Nanda, Comedian Kameez Surka and many others have called out their accusers on social media paving way for a huge movement that’s exposing the harsh reality of the industry. 

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On the other hand, Shweta Bachchan recently launched her debut novel 'Paradise Towers'. She was in Mumbai for the book launch event, recently. Proud parents Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, who graced the occasion, felt pride in launching their daughter’s first book. 

Amitabh Bachchan said, "It’s a moment of great pride and honour and very emotional for their parents to be on the launch of their daughter’s book launch. As a father I feel very privileged to be her father. She really is the best actor in the family. Every event, every function we go we come back home and have a gathering as a family and she does take off on the people present at the parties. When she says the film is going to do well, it does well, when she says it’s not going to do well, it doesn't do well. Recently she has been very helpful and perceptional on what I have been working on."

Jaya Bachchan while talking to Karan Johar at the event said, "I knew she would do this since she was a child. I knew that she would someday write mothers instinct. I think that she’s very inspired by your screenplay writing. The way you write your characters in screen. I keep telling her, 'is this someone I know?'."