Recently, the entertainment industry has been plagued with cases of sexual harassment. Peepli Live’s co-director Mahmood Farooqui had been accused of raping an American woman of Indian origin; ABCD 2’s background dancer Nilesh Nirbhavne had confessed to raping a mentally challenged minor and now, TV actor Sai Ballal, who plays Bhaiyyaji in Udaan, has been arrested for allegedly sending objectionable content, including some pornographic clips, and molesting his 58-year-old co-actor on multiple occasions. And the television industry is up in arms against such offenders working within the fraternity.
Actress Sneha Wagh, who plays Ratan in Veera, says, “It’s shameful. These men have no respect for women. There should be absolutely no tolerance against such people. It’s not always necessary to fight for it publicly. A woman should be powerful inside.” And it’s not just the women, even male actors have joined the clamour for justice. Actor Gunjan Utreja says, “It’s shocking. When that person has committed a crime, he should be punished. It doesn’t matter whether he’s a popular actor or not — wrong is wrong.”
While many advise to not entertain such people, some do feel that Sai should get another chance. Actress Neha Marda from Doli Armaanon Ki says, “It’s obvious that he’s a dirty person for what he’s done. Maybe, if he has learnt from his mistakes, we could give him a second chance.” However, Neha does feel that with the kind of backlash that Sai has faced, it would be extremely difficult for him to get back on the sets. Neha adds, “I don’t entertain unwanted attention. If someone is harassing you on WhatsApp, you have the liberty to block him. But I laud the woman who filed the case against Sai. Such people need to be taught a lesson.”
With such incidents on the rise, actors have become more cautious about interacting with other co-actors and crew members on set. Actress Roopal Tyagi says, “You meet all kinds of people everywhere. Just because we are in the limelight, such incidents get publicised. But let’s not single out just this industry, it could have happened anywhere. You need to be careful. However, there should be zero tolerance towards such people.” Anas Rashid, who shot to fame overnight with his portrayal of Suraj in Diya Aur Baati Hum, offers a different point of view. “Many TV actors come from small towns and villages and don’t realise that technology should be used, not misused.”
