With sexual harassment allegations emerging in the showbiz business after several names in Hollywood coming out against producer Harvey Weinstein, Indian film and television personality Ekta Kapoor feels that both producers and actors exploit each other. According to her, powerful producers use their position to exploit aspirants but it goes the other way round too with actors using their sexuality to get work.
Ekta, who was present along with actress Nimrat Kaur on a news channel's show The Town Hall, was asked if a Harvey Weinstein exists in Bollywood, and if the #MeToo campaign has helped women come out with their story in the Indian television and film industry.
Speaking on the issue, Ekta said, "Well, I think there are Harvey Weinsteins in Bollywood, but there is probably an equal number of Harvey Weinsteins on the other side of the story, but people do not want to talk about that part. Yes, there are people in power like producers who use their power to take advantage of people, but at the same time there are people on the other side, like an actor or others who need the job, would also use their sexuality to get things done.
"Therefore, I believe that predators should not be put in a box based on power. It is always not true that the person who does not have power is the victim.”
She further cited an example and said, "Being a producer, on a personal level when I talk to my male counterparts, they said they were propositioned blatantly. Is that person not a predator?
"In our industry, if one actor meets a producer at 2 a.m. and hooks up with him and after five days, if she wants a job based on that and the producer doesn't give the job because he wants personal and professional things separate, then who is the victim here? The interpretation is always that the powerful person took advantage of the poor little budding actor or something that is always not the truth."
For the uninitiated, Ekta's father Jeetendra was also accused earlier this month of sexually harassing his cousin. As per reports, the alleged cousin came forward to file a police complaint 47 years after the said incident with Jeetendra claiming the charges to be "baseless", and a "miserable effort by a jealous competitor to disrupt his business activities".
