Actor Konkona Sensharma, who plays a UK doctor facing allegations of workplace sexual harassment in her new film "Accused", believes that while some good has come out of the #MeToo movement, many perpetrators continue to thrive.
The actor said the landmark Justice Hema Committee report, which exposed rampant harassment in the industry, was a major thing to come out of the movement but many perpetrators did not suffer any consequences.
"It's just a very unfortunate situation. This is the reality we all know, we know the people who have been accused, we can see so many of them thriving. A lot of that is actually dependent on us, on all of us as a society, who we choose to work with, whose work we want to watch, how many opportunities do we give these people,” Sensharma said in an interview.
"Accused", directed by Anubhuti Kashyap and also featuring Pratibha Ranta of “Laapataa Ladies” fame, follows the story of a same-sex married couple whose lives are upended by a scandal.
Sensharma, a celebrated doctor in London, is accused of sexual misconduct by her colleagues at the hospital. As scrutiny intensifies and public opinion hardens, the film explores the strains this places on her closest relationships and how quickly perception can take hold when certainty is out of reach.
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Kashyap said the essential change #MeToo movement brought was the implementation of Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) and better infrastructure on film sets.
“Some good has happened because some of these structures have been put in place. Some people have found the courage to repeatedly come out with their stories, which is very very hard. So, that's the good thing. Unfortunately, it did fizzle out a little bit. But I hope the good of it stays and grows,” Kashyap said.
Rannta, who shot to fame with her roles in "Laapataa Ladies" and "Heeramandi", praised the “courage” of the survivors to share their stories.
“It really takes a lot for you to come out when something has happened to you, and there are structures that have helped people come out, and speak about what they have felt, which is good,” she said.
Kashyap said what makes their film, produced by Dharma, unusual is that the accused is a woman. The film premieres on Netflix on February 27. Sima Agarwal and Yash Keswani have penned the script.
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