'He had his hands in my underpants...' When 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah' actor Munmun Dutta talked about #MeToo

'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah' is one of the most loved sit-coms on Indian television. Not just for its content, but the show is popular among the masses for its stellar star cast including actors Dilip Joshi, Amit Bhatt, and others. Some of the actors who exited the show over the years enjoy a massive fan following even today, thanks to the show that made them household names. 

And while 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah' has been dominating TRP ratings for several years now, a few actors of the show have had their share of controversies and stories to tell because of which they have made headlines in the past. 

Actress Munmun Dutta, who essays the role of Babita Iyer in 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah', a popular figure offscreen and also on social media. 

The actress is quite active on Instagram and often shares photos and videos leaving her fans in awe of her beauty. However, there was a time when she had opened up about her #MeToo experience and left her fans in a state of shock.

In 2017, when the #MeToo wave had hit India, the phase saw several actors opening up about their experiences of sexual harassment at the workplace, unwanted attention to sexual innuendos on the sets. Many came out after years of going through the trauma because back then in the 90s and early 2000s, a social stigma was attached to it. 

At that time, in 2017, taking to Instagram, the 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah' actress, Munmun too had opened up about her bad experience. She shared a lengthy note alongside a photo on a black ground with #MeeToo written on it. 

Munmun Dutta wrote, "#MeToo …… Yes …. #Metoo ….. Sharing a post like this and joining the global awareness on sexual assaults on women all over the world and showing solidarity to each and every woman who sailed on the same boat , shows the magnitude of the problem. M surprised that some ‘good ‘ men are shocked to see the number of women who have come out and shared their #metoo experiences. NO DON’T BE. This is happening in your own backyard, in your own house, with your own sister, daughter, mother, wife or even your maid … Gain their trusts and ask them. You will be surprised at their answers.. You will be surprised with their stories.."

Check out her post here:

 

 

 

 

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She continued, "Writing something like this brings me to tears reliving those memories as a little girl when I was scared of the neighbourhood uncle and his prying eyes who at any given opportunity would grope me and threaten me not to speak about this to anyone ….. OR my much older cousins who would eye me differently than their own daughters …. OR the man who saw me at the hospital when I was born and 13 years later he thought it’s appropriate for him to touch my body because I was a growing teenager and my body had changed…. OR my tuition teacher who had his hands in my underpants ……. OR this another teacher , whom I tied Rakhi to, would scold the female students in the class by pulling their bra straps and slapping on their breasts …."

"OR that man in the train station who gropes U ... Why ?? Because you're too young and scared to speak up. So scared that you can feel your stomach getting twisted inside and throat getting choked up ... you don't know how are you going to explain it to your parents or you're too shy to utter a word to anyone .... And then you start developing that deep rooted hatred towards men ... Because you know they're the culprit who made you feel this way.. That disgusting, twisted feeling inside which takes years to overcome .... M happy to be another voice joining this movement and make people realise that I was not spared either. But TODAY I will rip apart any man who even remotely tries anything on me.I AM PROUD OF WHO I AM," she concluded her post.