Men also go through sexual abuse in the film industry: Radhika Apte

Mumbai: Bollywood actress Radhika Apte was vocal during the #MeToo campaign about her support for women and men who have faced sexual harassment. The ‘Phobia’ actress recently said that sexual abuse is not limited to women in the film industry as she knows several men who have been subjected to the sexual misconduct as such.

Radhika told PTI, ” I am specifically talking about the industry, I know a lot of men who have gone through this as well. It’s high time this comes out.”

Radhika Apte further adds, “People who exploit their power and abuse others need to be revealed. On the other hand, people are ambitious and are ready to do what is required. It needs to work from both the sides. ” She also said that people need to learn to say no and also recognise when they are being exploited.

The actress further spoke about the fear about coming out and sharing incidents when they were sexually abused. She said, “The fear also comes from ‘Who is going to believe me? The other person has so much power, my complain will go unnoticed, that’ll ruin my career’. She told PTI that this is the general perception which would change only when people talk about their experiences openly.

Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein made headlines last month after being accused of sexual harassment by several women. Kevin Spacey, James Toback, Brett Ratner have also been named in the notorious list.

In Bollywood, Last month, Irrfan Khan spoke about sexual harassment he has faced in the film industry as a newcomer. He said that now that he is established it doesn’t happen anymore. Radhika Apte’s statement only adds to the ongoing conversation about abuse of power.

On the work front, Radhika Apte will be next seen in R.Balki's Padman alongside Akshay Kumar and Sonam Kapoor. The actress is currently shooting for Sriram Raghavan's 'Shoot The Piano Player' with Ayshmann Khurrana and Tabu.