NATIONAL SHAME! Kalki groped outside National Awards ceremony
That a woman cannot be assured of her safety at an esteemed event as this, speaks volumes about the security of our country's citizens
It was a proud moment for Kalki Koechlin when she collected her Special Jury Award at the 63rd National Awards ceremony in Delhi (on Tuesday) for her performance in Margarita, With A Straw. But what should have been her day in the sun quickly turned into a living nightmare.
When the awards ceremony wrapped up, Kalki stepped out of Vigyan Bhavan to make her way towards her car.
Now, it was the time for the security team to do their job. Strangely, they moved ahead to escort Amitabh Bachchan and Kangana Ranaut but not Kalki (whether the security personnel were being professional or plain star-struck is a question for another day).
The next thing that Kalki knew was that she was being mobbed. With no security around to help her, things turned worse when the actress was groped.
An infuriated Kalki somehow managed to break free and rushed inside.
While the actress first contemplated filing a police complaint, she eventually decided against it. However, she did rush to the organisers and complained about the unfortunate incident.
But the damage had been done. That such a shameful episode can unfold at a national event speaks volumes about the lax attitude of the government’s Directorate of Film Festivals. Not to mention, the general apathy towards women’s safety.
Are we to understand that while Kalki was deemed worthy of a national honour, she didn’t deserve the courtesy of a security guard escorting her safely to her car? (Never mind that women’s safety is the basic right of every girl in the country– National Award winner or not).
Or are rules different for different stars?
Or is every star expected to come with an entourage – bouncers and all – to every event?
Can the powers that be not guarantee a woman her safety, that too, in its own domain?
But the most important question is: Will things change after this? Or will this spark a national debate across every possible platform, only to be conveniently forgotten a few days later, when it has lost its headline value?
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