The R.G. Kar incident showed how little the authorities care about women. The Hema Committee report gave me confidence that this is the right time to begin this discussion in the Bengali film industry as well.
The report has given me the belief that big, powerful men can be brought down. So, I think it is the right time for me to come forward with the struggles and issues I faced early in my career. I don’t want my juniors and newcomers to experience the same.
Groups of powerful men exist in the Bengali film industry as well. But I would still say that things have somewhat improved from what I saw at the beginning of my career 15 years ago.
But the groups exist and they are so influential that rejecting their advances and calls can negatively impact a woman’s career. They can deny women opportunities in every production house. That is why women are scared. They are scared to lose their jobs.
However, in most of the cases, advances from influential men are not direct, like, “I want to sleep with you”. Instead, they would say “Let’s go for a coffee or hang out”, and then drop subtle hints about their intentions. Most of the time, these men are married and have children.
In 2016 or 2017, a producer closely associated with a big Bengali superstar approached me, suggesting that the superstar was interested in going out with me. When I declined, the producer called me stupid and said that I would have made my career had I gone out with him. This scared me.
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I had another traumatic experience and I wish to file a police complaint soon. I met a prominent producer in a public place to discuss a film, and he hinted that he wanted me to be his girlfriend. I didn’t respond and asked him to drive me home. During the drive, he touched my hand without my consent. I shouted at him, feeling scared. Although he didn’t do anything more, he was visibly angry.
The Hema Committee’s findings on the lack of basic amenities for women in the Malayalam film industry are equally applicable to West Bengal. As an established star, I receive the best facilities, but junior actors face extremely poor treatment and endure terrible experiences.
Then there are drunk technicians always knocking on women’s doors during outdoor shoots. In the Bengali film industry, it is still common to film intimate scenes without intimacy coordinators. These practices need to change for women to feel safe in the industry.
Ritabhari Chakraborty is an actor and model.
―As told to Niladry Sarkar