Actress Sonam Kapoor makes a very personal confession at one of the NDTV shows hosted by film critic Rajeev Masand. Sonam along with Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma, Vidya Balan and Radhika Apte can be seen having spoken about her childhood trauma in the short promo for the show, which was posted on YouTube. “I know I have been molested when I was younger and it was very traumatizing,” said Sonam, now 31.
The actresses interviewed are the ones who have delivered the most acclaimed female performances from the Hindi film industry this year. The roundtable celebrates this year’s best female film performances. Sonam Kapoor delivered her first critically acclaimed hit in Neerja, playing air stewardess Neerja Bhanot. Alia Bhatt has already won an award for Udta Punjab and was praised for her works in Kapoor And Sons and Dear Zindagi. Anushka Sharma appeared in Sultan and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Vidya Balan in Kahaani 2, and Radika Apte in Parched and Kabali.
As the promo has the five women discussing sexual assault, Vidya Balan in response to Sonam says, “It’s not her fault and that is the biggest thing a victim deals with”. Anushka Sharma recalls how she would wonder why her mother always questioned her about being touched inappropriately. “I thought there was something wrong with my mother because obviously, I had no idea what she was asking then,” Anushka says.
https://youtu.be/qmvsHTsGEyg
Two years ago, actress Kalki Koechlin went public about being sexually abused as a child. “For me, it’s not a one-day headline, it’s something that’s a reality I have lived with for a long time. Many of us have gone through it and most of the people that I know, especially close friends of mine who are women, have gone through some form of child sexual abuse. It’s just so out there, so much of it that I think it’s not something that should be ignored,” Kalki told NDTV in a 2014 interview.
Actress Rekha’s biography by Yaseer revealed that the then 15-year-old actress was a victim of sexual assault in her debut. She was held by her co-star in the film, Biswajeet and kissed forcefully for about five minutes as the camera was rolling. The crew was whistling and cheering and the director did not say ‘cut’ for almost 5 solid minutes. Rekha was the only one who did not know about such a scene and all she could do was break into tears helplessly.
It is quite disturbing to hear these stars confessing about the injustice they had faced but it is goot to know that they have come up to voice out this issue. It is great they have all overcome these with courage and reached heights today.
