Actress Tanushree Dutta has said that she is not getting work after she opened up about being sexually harassed in Bollywood in 2018. Her revelations gave wind to the #MeToo movement in the Indian film industry. Tanushree recently uploaded a social media post as well about how people are not offering her work anymore in films.
In an interview, Tanushree said, “Things have been happening to me for a long time. This is the first time when I talked about everything in a single post. This is for the first time, I sat down and put down my thoughts together, while trying not to sound crazy, because when crazy stuff is happening to you, your mind can get affected by it.”
The actress, who had named actor Nana Patekar in the MeToo movement, further added, “A lot of stuff has happened since I came back to India. I am trying to resurrect my career, and people are interested in working with me, despite the image that these Bollywood mafias have portrayed as being difficult… I am getting offers for films as well as web projects, in fact signed some also, but have noticed none they materialise. All of a sudden, the producers or director go in incognito mode, or sponsors drop.”
Tanushree’s revelation in 2020 encouraged many female artists to come out with their traumas of being sexually harassed by people in power. Many well-known Bollywood celebrities were named and shamed during this movement.
Tanushree says that even those who are willing to work with her end up stepping back because they don’t want to avoid those who are in power. “I came back in 2020, and I have lost count how many times this has happened to me. People just get one message ‘it is advisable not to work with her’. And people avoid me because they don’t want to offend anyone. They like to hunt, and that is what it is for them. They are powerful and people don’t want to mess with them. Nobody is going to be willing to give me a chance,” she said.
Not taking any particular names, Tanushree says these are “nameless and faceless people”. “I don’t want to drop names because I don’t have proof and they are quick to put cases. I was the face of the MeToo movement and rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. These Bollywood bullies have vicious and twisted ways. It is easy for them to harass anyone,” the actress claims.
As a result of this ongoing struggle, Tanushree reveals that although she is undergoing extreme mental stress, she is not the one to stop working. “I am not going to lose my sanity or take any drastic steps. It is troublesome and dealing with it is not easy. My life is not a bed of roses… But 12 years of my spiritual life have granted me determination and patience…I’m not enjoying the harassment. I’m enjoying the fact that people still love me. They can sabotage my career, not my spirit,” says the actor.
