Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali addressed criticism following his remarks on women’s safety during the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). Vinta Nanda, a writer-producer, publicly disagreed with Ali’s comments, which implied India’s streets were safer for women. Responding, Ali clarified his statement, emphasizing his intention was to highlight progress in public safety while acknowledging existing challenges.
Imtiaz Ali took his Instagram stories to give a clarification, “Uh oh there seems to be a misunderstanding that I must clarify. I haven’t denied or disputed the tons of harassment cases that Vinta ji and many other friends have spoken about; in fact these incidents are deeply disturbing and must be dealt with severely and consistently.”
He continued, “I was pointing out that it is doubly frustrating that the entire film industry, all those hundreds of men on every set who are otherwise remarkably well-mannered, get a bad name for the acts of a few. Of course, terrible things have happened and continue to happen and they are shameful – as an industry and nation, we should have a zero-tolerance policy towards them. We have to uphold our honour together and regardless of gender.” Imtiaz then added to this, “Three men went up and put it while standing on the lower berth where she was lying down. I asked her, ‘Are you sure and comfortable?’ She didn’t understand what my problem was. She said, ‘Abhi kon utrega aur phir chadhega!’ And that’s because she felt so safe with those three men hovering over her to put the light on. Nobody looked at her wrong in any way.” The controversy sparked widespread debate, prompting many to re-evaluate societal attitudes toward gender issues.
Leave a comment