#MeToo: Vinta Nanda Wants Life To Go Back to Normal Post Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Alok Nath
Writer-director Vinta Nanda accused actor Alok Nath of rape and sexual harassment earlier in the wake of the #MeToo movement in Bollywood.
The #MeToo movement has died down in India, as expected but Vinta Nanda continues to fight for herself in this battle against Alok Nath. Writer-director Vinta Nanda had accused actor Alok Nath of rape and sexual harassment earlier in the wake of the #MeToo movement in Bollywood. Thanks to Tanushree Dutta, a lot of women raised their voice against the existing casting couch and sexual harassment issues that are prevalent in Bollywood till today. Vinta was one of them.
Nanda gave an account of the alleged sexual assault in a Facebook post on October 8, soon after actor Tanushree Dutta's complaint of harassment against Nana Patekar fuelled India's #MeToo movement. The director said she got the courage to call out Nath after she realised it was for the first time that men in Bollywood were standing up for women. "My trigger obviously was the atmosphere, there was an enabling environment. I was very certain I will be heard and supported because the movement had gathered momentum, started by Tanushree. I give her all the credit in the Bollywood space, as she took on very big people," she told PTI at a panel discussion recently. #MeToo Movement: Alok Nath Untraceable; Police Unable to Proceed with the Investigation in the Rape Case.
"When I saw that the industry was supporting her, CINTAA was coming out openly and speaking for her... It was the first time in Bollywood where I saw men stand up and speak for women," Nanda said on Wednesday. She was speaking at a panel discussion on #MeToo at the Mumbai Curtain Raiser of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival, which will run from January 24 to January 28. She also said how she is "desperately" wanting to get back to normal life now.
She was brave enough to address the grave problem and speak about it on a social media platform without having any fear of the consequences. So how was it like after putting it all out there on a public platform? Nanda said she "went to sleep" after writing about the alleged sexual harassment on social media and woke up to realise that things will never be the same. "For me, it was over. I had held back for so many years. I was relieved but I had given sleepless nights to everyone, including my family. By the time I woke up, from my building to the office building, there were media vans parked all over the place. "I woke up to the fact that 'ok now I've done it'. Now I have to live up to it. That's what I am doing until today. I am trying desperately to get back to normal life now. This is the last panel I'm saying 'yes' to because I just have to get back to normal life now," she added. I Was Motivated by Tanushree: Vinta Nanda.
Last month, Mumbai Police registered a rape case against Nath following Nanda's complaint. He has been booked under Indian Penal Code's Section 376 (rape). Nath has refuted the allegations and filed a civil suit against Nanda and is seeking Re 1 as damages for alleged defamation.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 06, 2018 03:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).