TALKING POINT: Ali Zafar’s Victory Over The Sexual Misconduct Allegations Is A Giant Step For The #MenToo Movement
In a massive win for Pakistani Singer Ali Zafar, the girl who had filed a sexual misconduct case against him was awarded a 3-year jail term for falsely accusing the actor. Is it time to actively talk about #MenToo?
Like all similarly accused, it has been a difficult time for Pakistani actor-singer Ali Zafar and his family. Ever since a female singer accused him of sexual misconduct in April 2018 Ali has been fighting a prolonged legal battle to prove his innocence. I remember talking to a lady journalist friend of his, a Pakistani national residing in Dubai, who was absolutely convinced that Ali Zafar was innocent. The latest report suggests that post-Ali's defamation case against Meesha Shafi for levelling false accusations, the Pakistani Court has awarded 3 years of jail term to Meesha for causing 'irreparable damages to his career thanks to the false case.
Ali Zafar was very popular among the Bollywood fraternity. He used to be a regular in Bollywood until relations between the two countries soured which in turn affected the relationship between artists too. I don’t hold that against him at all. I remember how much he was liked in Bollywood by both the male and female co-stars. Ali never threw his weight around. He was quite a regular guy. Yash Raj Films loved him. They were not only looking after his career, they were all set to look after his younger brother Danyal Zafar's career as well.
But post the unfortunate Uri attack everything changed. Due to the political tension between India and Pakistan, like everyone else Ali too distanced himself from everything on this side of the border. When hell broke out in his life I emailed him my concern he replied with a cautious line. This was a different Ali Zafar. A product of a different political scenario.
When he starred in Ali Abbas Zafar’s Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Ali hit it off with the entire team. Katrina and Ali were especially fond of one another. They were pals and spent a lot of buddy time together. Ali would call me for career advice which I was happy to share with him. Since he didn’t know too many of the known names in the Hindi film industry he would ask about whom to work with.
When I asked about the sexual harassment charge Ali sent a terse response: “I have to abide by my legal council’s advice to not talk about it in media. The matter is in court hence I can’t give any statement or comment on it. Hope you understand.”
His co-star Aditi Rao Hydari who was full of praise for his chivalrous behaviour and off-the-record said she was convinced he was innocent but chose to not speak in his favour on record. The only female actor who had spoken about fair play in the gender equation was the clear-headed Dia Mirza.
In an articulate interview with me in 2018 Dia had said to me, “I’ve seen how ambitious youngsters avail of sexual favours to make their way up the ladder, not realizing that the short cuts are never a dependable route to success. Why should the onus of such youngsters’ moral compromise only be on the exploitative elements in the entertainment industry? If you are old enough to seek job opportunities you are old enough to know when you are being told to compromise for the sake of the opportunities. After that, the choice is entirely yours. I never took that route of seeking favours by being ‘nice’ to people who matter. For this, I’ve been called boring. I refuse to see that epithet as an insult. I wear it as a badge of honour.”
Bravo! This is the most balanced opinion I’ve heard on sexual harassment cases in Bollywood. The man doesn’t always have to be wrong. Ali Zafar has proved it. His victory over the allegations is a giant step for the MenToo movement.
Image source: Instagram/ali_zafar
