On his 76th birthday, Amitabh Bachchan tweeted out an interview in which he is engaged in conversation with an anonymous interviewer who appears to know the superstar really well. The actor, who during a recent event had an indifferent answer to a question about Tanushree Dutta’s sexual assault allegations against Nana Patekar, took the opportunity to talk about the atrocities being committed against women.
T 2959 – An interview on the eve of birthday : It is that special day again…special for us, that is. Why (cont) https://t.co/8n1ERaBtXw
— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) October 11, 2018
By addressing the superstar with the popular moniker ‘Amitji’ and asking him why birthdays bothered him so much, the interviewer sets up a warm tone that remains throughout the conversation. They also briefly wonder if the actor has not yet gotten tired of ‘living a life dedicated to others.’
After touching upon Bachchan’s ‘unfulfilled dreams’ in his professional life and inserting a question regarding his upcoming movie Thugs of Hindostan, the interviewer then asks Bachchan to comment on ‘sexual harassment at workplaces and especially in the entertainment industry.’
Without naming a single victim or perpetrator or the #MeToo campaign, Bachchan delivers a response that can go head to head with the rhetoric of a politician. He says: “No woman should ever be subjected to any kind of misbehaviour, or disorderly conduct especially at her work place. Such acts should immediately be brought to the notice of concerned authorities, and corrective measures be taken, either through filing complaints or a recourse to law.”
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Women, children and the weaker sections of our society are the most vulnerable. They need to be under special protective care. It has been most heartening to see women representations in most work vocations on the increase in our country. It would be an unrepairable blemish if we are not able to provide them the welcome they deserve and the dignity of the security of their presence.”
Bachchan was not the first actor to shy away from making a statement on the Tanushree Dutta’s sexual assault allegations which kick-started the #MeToo campaign in India. Salman Khan refused to speak about it during an event, and even talked down to the journalist who asked him the question. Aamir Khan, who was posed the question at the same event as Bachchan, said he had to check the veracity of the claims before passing a judgement. Yesterday though, he came out with a statement declaring that he was distancing himself from Mogul because of the sexual assault allegations surrounding its director, Subhash Kapoor.