Bollywood actress Taapsee Pannu has given her support to filmmaker Anurag Kahsyap after sexual assault allegations. Taapsee is known for her strong opinions on issues not just pertaining to the film industry, but the country as a whole. She tweeted in Anurag’s defence and called him the ‘biggest feminist’.
In a recent interview with Mumbai Mirror, Taapsee opened up on why she feels so strongly about supporting the filmmaker. She said, “Anurag has a lot of respect for women, never badmouths anyone even if that person hasn’t been kind to him in public. His is one of those rare sets where the number of women on the crew equals men, and they only have nice things to say about him. If someone has been harassed, let them initiate an investigation, let the truth come out.”
However, she added, “If he is found guilty, I’ll be the first person to break all ties with him. But if the investigation is inconclusive, how can the sanctity of the #MeToo movement be sustained? How will real victims benefit from a power that’s come to us after years of suppression? It’s wrong for women to derail the movement. Abusing power isn’t gender-specific.”
Taapsee also said that she finds it hard to have neutral opinions. “If I am in a position where what I say matters, why stay quiet? Speaking out helps me sleep better,” the actress revealed.
She also in another interview opened up on the insider-outsider conversation and called it an ‘endless debate’. Giving her own example, Taapsee told TOI, “There have been ups and downs. We keep having these endless debates about insider vs outsider but nobody really knows the solution to it and even if you do, it is not that it can be implemented because the choice of a film is a very subjective thing.”