Actress Dia Mirza recently spoke with a leading entertainment media portal about the Harvey Weinstein scandal. The actress, who is vocal on issues pertaining to women and gender topics, is greatly concerned about the dynamics of the casting couch. “Before we judge, condemn and convict Harvey Weinstein in the media, we must examine the circumstances that foster and encourage such people to misuse their power. I think there is almost nothing worse than empowered men using their power to get sexual favours out of upcoming aspirants, both women and men, too. Let’s not forget men are as susceptible to being sexually exploited as women,” she stated.
Dia further spoke about being concerned with how persuasive and convincing a woman's no is in the industry. “I’ve been a part of this entertainment industry for 20 years. I’ve seen how ambitious youngsters avail of sexual favours to make their way up the ladder, not realising that the shortcuts are never a dependable route to success. Why should the onus of such youngsters’ moral compromise only be on the exploitative elements in the entertainment industry? If you are old enough to seek job opportunities, you are old enough to know when you are being told to compromise for the sake of the opportunities. After that, the choice is entirely yours. I never took that route of seeking favours by being ‘nice’ to people, who matter. For this, I’ve been called boring. I refuse to see that epithet as an insult. I wear it as a badge of honour,” she continued.
However, Dia can also see why a woman’s silence in matters of sexual exploitation cannot usually be taken to mean compliance. “Disclosure is easier when you are more established. When you are starting out, and you speak out or point out to harassment, you become the attention-seeker, the troublemaker. People’s attention spans are limited. Speaking out then means you are not known for your work, instead are known for having spoken out. People often ask, why not name these men, expose them. It’s important, of course, but sometimes these men are related to the women we adore. Sometimes, the silence is to protect our friends and not out of any misplaced sympathy for these abusers. Also, I am ashamed to say this, but any fight, calling out, naming-shaming, takes time and energy. As artistes, we don’t always have the luxury of time. There’s a constant clock ticking away — and that reminds people that they can only choose some battles, not all. We must, therefore, respect women’s silence too,” she said.
“We must also remember that many of these women, who are coming forward to accuse Weinstein, go back with their horror tales to 20 years and more. Back then, the social construct was different in America as it was in our country. What was considered an acceptable masculine behaviour is today rejected as being completely unacceptable.” Dia looks forward to a balanced gender equation where empowered men would not be given space to misuse that power. “For this to happen, women must create an environment for themselves where men have no choice but to treat women as their equal. There should be no coercion of force for this equality to come into being. It should be natural. I want to see women stop playing up to men to get jobs. Only then can we talk about gender equality without a few rotten apples spoiling the basket,” she continued.
The actress also stressed on the fact that ambition doesn’t mean compliance in sexual favours or greasing the exploitative machinery. “Career women take years to speak out against sexual exploitation because they need to make a name for themselves. Otherwise, they run the risk of not being taken seriously. There is also the question of self-definition. We are where we are because of what we have endured, fought against and emerged triumphant. We are what we’ve become. We are not what once we were reduced into being. We refuse to allow abuse to pack us away into victimhood,” she concluded.
(Also read: Vidya Balan on Harvey Weinsten Scandal: It’s quite shocking to see that Harvey Weinstein has been an abuser)Stay tuned for more updates.
