As far as the big guns of Bollywood are concerned, it is business as usual for those accused of sexual misconduct during the #MeToo movement that took over the entertainment industry last year.
The industry in its collective wisdom has decided not to punish the #MeToo accused until proven guilty by law. Akshay Kumar said as much at a recent press conference, where he told the media he wouldn’t mind working with Sajid Khan if he is ‘acquitted’. Since there is no formal legal case against Sajid, Akshay’s declaration in principle means he is willing to work with Sajid.
Another example of this is Deepika Padukone, who has agreed to work with director Luv Ranjan in spite of a sexual assault allegation against him. Without mentioning Ranjan, Deepika stated at a media gathering that she won’t work with anyone proven guilty of sexual misconduct. Ranjan cannot be ‘proven’ guilty since there is no official charge against him.
Aamir Khan set the ball rolling, when he retracted his earlier decision to not work with #MeToo accused director Subhash Kapoor on a biopic on music baron Gulshan Kumar, stating that he can’t allow a man to be deprived of his livelihood merely on the basis of an allegation. Quite evidently, the #MeToo accused have nothing to fear, as hardly any accuser is willing to go to court.
