Power Play: No one is above the law

Mumbai: Power is a very dangerous weapon. It can destroy and damage a weak opponent. And nobody understands this better than a powerful personality. When the accused in question is the scion of an industrial family and the lady, an actress whose career is on the downslide, there are no battle lines drawn. Because often, the stronger adversary walks away scot-free, reputation intact. Perhaps that’s why rich and successful men believe they can abuse, subjugate or humiliate their partner (an ex-girlfriend in this case).

Going by Preity’s complaint, why should 44-year-old industrialist Ness Wadia be any different? He perhaps assumed he could get away with his verbal tirade (no matter what the provocation). He should have figured out his ex better. Preity is a ballsy woman who has consistently found the courage to speak up against any kind of atrocity. So, it comes as no surprise that Preity decided to go public and file a case against her high-profile ex-boyfriend for his alleged misdemeanour.

In a frank social media confession, she admitted, “I may not be super wealthy and powerful but I have truth by my side and I’ve worked very hard all my life and tried to earn respect for myself as a self-made professional. It saddens me that no one at work or around ever stood up for me in the past when I was abused and insulted publicly. This time I was left with no option but to take this stern step as this incident happened in front of way too many people. Every human being has a limit to how much they can take; some of us foolishly call it strength and try to look ahead focusing on the positives of work and life. All these years I have never said anything about him in the media but now I have no choice.”

Mumbai-based author and filmmaker Fahad Samar strongly opines that, “They are two powerful individuals in this case, though Ness Wadia is financially powerful, Preity is a household name and a successful actress — she is no pushover.” He recalls the Bharat Shah case where Preity was being called the ‘Only Man in Bollywood’, adding to which he says, “With that attitude Preity is definitely going to handle it despite what reports may say. She may have had her own reasons to make a complaint, and as a woman of substance she is going to handle it come what may.”

This is not just about Preity and Ness Wadia. History has been testimony to sordid sagas of powerful men, icons too, exploiting their physical and financial power to abuse and torment women. Bollywood star Salman has allegedly abused his former girlfriends, be it Somy Ali, Aishwarya Rai, or even Katrina Kaif. Somy appears to be rather delusional denying the infamous ‘cola episode’ where the actor was said to have smashed a bottle over her head. He allegedly slapped Katrina in a café in full public view. But the actress chose to protect him, instead of standing up to him. Ash was the only star who bravely confessed to having been abused by the star when she was dating him.

Arundhati Ghosh, executive director, India Foundation for Arts, makes a valid point when she says, “The charade of ‘protection’ that being powerful can provide to a woman whose time has come to be morally judged and publicly humiliated by patriarchal values is only too apparent in this case of Ms Zinta now. So women can work hard, build strong careers, earn more money, and make independent lives believing in the mirage that some or all of these achievements will ensure their rites of passage to a more equitable world. But the moment they open their mouths to talk about abuse or transgress any of the lakshman rekhas drawn by patriarchy, they will be judged, blamed, maligned and dragged down to dust like any other more ordinary woman.”

It’s not just Bollywood; take the case of reality show star and son of former politician Pramod Mahajan, Rahul Mahajan. His childhood sweetheart and first wife Shweta, who married the man when he was down in the dumps, was forced to divorce him after he allegedly assaulted her brutally several times. Allegedly, his second marriage to model Dimpi is also heading for a divorce. Dimpi, who married him on the sets of a reality show, fled from him after accusing Rahul of domestic violence and walked out on him once.

There is Yukta Mookhey, former Miss World, who appeared to be happily married to her Prince Tulli. In September 2012 she lodged a domestic violence complaint at a Pune police station, alleging that she had been beaten and troubled by her husband, a wealthy businessman.

It shouldn’t transform into a mindset where women get used to violence and keep quiet about it - Pooja Bhatt

Five years ago, actress-turned-producer Pooja Bhatt got actor Ranvir Shorey arrested for assaulting her. The actor had allegedly walked into her home drunk, kicked up a ruckus and even attacked Pooja. While Pooja refrained from talking about the past, she appeared to endorse Preity’s decision. “It’s important to stand up and fight against physical abuse, do not tolerate it. It can happen to any woman, no matter rich or poor, from a city or village. When we hear such stories many women think, ‘It happened to her, it won’t happen to me.’ No matter how powerful the other person is, women need to realise it shouldn’t transform into a mindset where women get used to violence and keep quiet about it. Till the mindset of women changes, the abuse will not stop.”

About powerful men walking scot-free in several instances, Fahad explains, “The law of the land is such that it supports women’s empowerment and as long as people come out and speak in the open; such cases will be dealt with clarity. In these social media times, there is no one who is powerful or less powerful; everybody passes under the eye of the law and the public.”

With inputs from Natasha Coutinho, Nuvena Rajendran and Sneha S. Sukumar