Richa Chadha: Sexual harassment is a sensitive issue, not a trend like the ice bucket challenge

Even as Hollywood actor Uma Thurman tells her #metoo story involving Harvey Weinstein, Bollywood actor Richa Chadha says that she would not forgive any insensitivity towards the topic of sexual assault.

Actor Richa Chadha wrote a long blog on the issue of sexual harassment in October 2017. This was right after the sexual harassment / assault scandal blew up in the face of Hollywood, following the New York Times report on heavyweight producer Harvey Weinstein. As #timesup and #metoo campaigns continue in Hollywood, Richa says that this issue shouldn’t be forgotten, like trends that create a buzz and then fizzle out.

Actor Richa Chadha has written a blog on the issue of sexual harassment, which has rocked Hollywood and also been discussed in Bollywood. (Photo: Amal KS/ HT)

“These things are unforgivable. This is not a popcorn story, that a hashtag will begin. It’s not a trend like an ice bucket challenge. It shouldn’t be just a trend; it should be discussed openly. After I wrote the blog, I really thought and hoped that people would show more sensitivity. This is violence, which [has its parallels in] female foeticide or the horrific [Delhi] rape in 2012,” says Richa, who also refers to #metoo, the campaign that encourages women to share their stories of being sexually harassed or assaulted.

Richa, last seen in Fukrey Returns (2017), says that any kind of insensitivity towards the topic is not acceptable. “I do my job with responsibility. I stand for men and women who have faced sexual harassment and I made it a larger issue. When the topic is so sensitive, I will not forgive any kind of insensitivity towards this,” she says.

Has the discussion by celebrities changed anything? Richa says, “I definitely feel that the movement has gathered a lot of momentum and people have become more aware. I also feel that if there’s a predator in the industry, they will [now] think twice and that, in itself, is a good thing. If women are aware and [predatory] men are scared, then it might create a better future. If not for girls in your and my generation, then maybe for our kids it will create a safer atmosphere.”

Follow @htshowbiz for more