Harvey Weinstein Row: Tillotama Shome Says It's Better to Say No And Walk Out From Unsafe Situations

The sexual allegations against Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, and other Hollywood stalwarts have created a storm with several sexual harassment victims from across the fields speaking up and sharing their experiences. While many starlets from Hollywood have named the culprits in the industry, Bollywood has maintained its silence apart from a few actors who’ve addressed the issue at large.

Joining the likes of Priyanka Chopra, Sayani Gupta, Vidya Balan, Swara Bhaskar and Parvathy, Tillotama Shome, too, has voiced her opinion over the sexual misconduct of the heavyweights pan countries. In an interaction with News18.com, Shome shares that as women, we often question ourselves if “that touch was really a ‘bad’ touch, or I imagined it”.

“If I am convinced that what happened to me was not right, I will choose a way to express myself in a way that I can live, with knowing very well that it will have consequences. How well I can express myself is a steeper learning curve,” she says.

She also maintains that as a woman and as an actor, she’s better equipped to say no and to walk out, if necessary, from situations that make her feel unsafe.

Shome adds, “I can say this because I have had the good fortune of working on many films where I was not only made to feel safe but also treasured. Which is perhaps why my tolerance for anything less than that, is pretty low and actually needs to be lowered even further.”

The actor also advised the filmmakers that if they want to make films, even if it’s on low budgets, they should create a safe and sound environment for the cast and crew.

“Making a film, especially low budget films is tough, but if you still want to make a film, please create an environment in which your actors feel safe and are allowed to work with dignity. This is a minimum requirement. Otherwise please don't make your film no matter how important you think it is,” she adds.

Sayani Gupta, who attended the recently concluded Dharamshala International Film Festival, also expressed her opinion and said that the silence has more to do with the “latent fear of being out-casted or their work getting hampered.”

"If you say one line, something else is made out of it. Journalism is different here than in the West. We're a society and we need to help each other. So if someone comes out and says something, we as a society need to make sure that the person is safeguarded,” she said.