Neha Dhupia: Staying quiet about sexual abuse is not brave, coming out and talking about it is

Neha Dhupia feels it is not correct to stay quiet about sexual abuse or by not naming the person who has done it. The topic of sexual mismanagement in the industry has been making headlines on a daily basis. Even Bollywood celebrities have spoken about it on various occasions but have never named anyone in particular. But Neha Dhupia feels it is not the correct thing to do.


Neha said, “Staying quiet about sexual abuse is not brave, coming out and talking about it is. And I’m not going to protect the business by saying [sexual abuse] does not happen. I’m sure it happens. Let’s not kid ourselves. But it happens everywhere.”


Neha further adds, “There’s a constant fear among actors to save their reputation, [and that of] their parents and families, so they don’t talk about the sexual abuse they might have seen or faced in the industry. Also, they may feel that it’s going to become ugly.”


Referring to women who choose to stay quiet about such things, Neha says that they’re only making themselves weaker. “Because that man, if he has done that to you right now, he’s probably going to do that to somebody else, again,” she says. “So, by talking about it, you’re not just protecting yourself but everyone else around you, too.”


The actress admits that she has never faced such issues, “I’ve never felt exploited, and I feel blessed. But at the same time, maybe it’s because of the person I am. I’m really particular about how meetings are done, what the system is.”


She concluded by saying, “There’s a lack of an ecosystem in the business when it comes to managers and how things are done. A lot of times, when these new actors get a call, they’re tempted to go and do meetings, and it’s not their fault, at all. They think they’re doing the right thing, but then, there are obnoxious people who take advantage of the fact that a boy or girl is just here in the business or here in a city like Mumbai to work.”