Film director Anurag Kashyap has announced that he is stepping down from his duties as a board member of Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) in the wake of sexual harassment allegations against his former partner of the now dissolved Phantom Films- Vikas Bahl.
Taking to his Twitter, the ‘Manmarziyaan’ director wrote, “In the light of the current events, I have decided to step back from my duties as a board member from MAMI until the shadow of doubt of our alleged complicitness in silence and not doing anything about it, is cleared.”
In the light of the current events , I have decided to step back from my duties as a board member from MAMI until the shadow of doubt of our alleged complicitness in silence and not doing anything about it , is cleared.
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 10, 2018
Vehemently denying staying silent on the issue, Kashyap’s another tweet read, “On the other hand I vehemently deny to have stayed silent on the issue & not doing anything about it for years. Can’t explain further to people who don’t understand due process, legalities. Have been resilient through all accusations, keep flinging them my way.”
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In a series of tweets, Kashyap stated that the ‘accused” was named and shamed a long time back. “The accused was named and shamed a long time back. For people who don’t read the details & only the headlines, I have no response. A lot of women work with me and have been around, I am answerable to them & they stand witness to our actions &our struggle to do the right thing,” read another tweet.
On the other hand I vehemently deny to have stayed silent on the issue & not doing anything about it for years. Can’t explain further to people who don’t understand due process, legalities. Have been resilient through all accusations , keep flinging them my way.
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 10, 2018
The critically acclaimed director then digressed from the accusations against Bahl and gave accounts of instances in his life.
“I feel like just apologising for being a man. I use to feel I have come a long way from growing up in a smalltown &today I feel like somehow I am still there. There is so much I really don’t see & also see others around me pretending to see & I feel ,”inko bhi kahan dikhta hai,” he wrote.
The accused was named and shamed a long time back. For people who don’t read the details & only the headlines, I have no response. A lot of women work with me and have been around , I am answerable to them & they stand witness to our actions &our struggle to do the right thing.
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 10, 2018
Anurag continued, “I was lucky to have had women who slapped me from time to time to turn that boy who at 18 told the girl in his class “ladkiyon ko yeh nahin karna chahiye ” to whoever I have become today. But I also wonder ,why & when did they stopped slapping me and thought it’s enough. It isn’t.”
Let the purging continue .. it’s as good a time as any for all of us to introspect , look into ourselves and see how we all have been complicit in so much,with our silence, forced by fear of consequence or by choice.
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 10, 2018
He further wrote about how the present time is good to introspect and see “how we all have been complicit.”
“Let the purging continue. it’s as good a time as any for all of us to introspect, look into ourselves and see how we all have been complicit in so much, with our silence, forced by fear of consequence or by choice,” he wrote.
Kashyap further gave an account of how he has reflected on his actions over the past one year.