Tanushree Dutta Slams New Anti-Harassment Committee, Calls for Real Action Over Empty Reports
The actress criticizes the Hema Committee and other similar efforts, arguing they are ineffective in addressing sexual harassment in the film industry
Tanushree Dutta, who became the face of the MeToo movement in Indian cinema in 2018 after accusing Nana Patekar of sexual misconduct on the set of *Horn Okay Pleassss*, has spoken out against the newly formed Hema Committee. This committee was established to combat sexual harassment against women in the Malayalam film industry.
Dutta expressed strong skepticism about the effectiveness of the committee, questioning whether it would bring about any meaningful change or stricter laws for the protection of women. She didn’t hold back in her criticism, once again targeting Nana Patekar, whom she described as a “narcissistic psychopath.”
In an interview with Showsha, the *Aashiq Banaya Apne* actress stated, “I don’t understand these committees and reports; I think they’re useless. It took them seven years to produce a report on something that happened in 2017?” She also criticized the Vishaka Committee, which was created to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. “What’s the point of this new report anyway? All they had to do was arrest the accused and enforce a strong law and order system. I remember hearing about the Vishakha Committee, which came up with so many guidelines and prepared pages and pages of reports, but what happened after that? The names of the committees just keep changing.”
Dutta didn’t stop there, directing her ire at not only Patekar but also Malayalam actor Dileep, who was allegedly involved in a 2017 sexual harassment case. “People like Nana Patekar and Dileep are narcissistic psychopaths.
Only a vicious and vengeful man can do what they did. I don’t care about these committees. I have no trust in this system. It feels like these reports and committees, they’re just wasting our time rather than doing the real work. Having a safe workplace is a basic right for a woman—or any human being, for that matter.”
In conclusion, Dutta emphasized the need for women to be treated with respect in the workplace, stating, “People don’t look at actresses as human beings but as morally corrupt entities—which is a very rudimentary perception—who don’t have the right to dignity. We aren’t asking to be treated like queens, but we have the right to be treated with dignity and the right to protest. They use their male ego to reduce you to someone who’s a nuisance.”
Dutta’s courageous stand in 2018 paved the way for many other women in the Indian film industry to come forward with their own stories of sexual misconduct, sparking a significant conversation about the need for real change.
