Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, who made her debut with Netflix film Guilty, spoke about how films like Guilty have restarted the conversation on sexual harassment. Speaking on the film which is based on the #MeToo movement, Akanska in an interview with news agency IANS, said, "It's unfortunate that we need films like this for people to restart the conversation, but that was our aim. People have a very short attention span. But this has been happening forever and I feel that #MeToo is here to stay."
The #MeToo movement started in the Indian film industry after actress Tanushree Dutta revealed a decade old sexual harassment case against actor Nana Patekar. Post that revelation, several female artistes flooded social media with their #MeToo stories calling their alleged harassers out, in which prominent industry personalities were named and shamed. In Bollywood, actors such as Alok Nath, Rajat Kapoor and filmmakers Subhash Ghai and Sajid Khan among others, were accused of sexually harassing their colleagues and aspiring artistes.
Akansha played the role of a small-town girl Tanu from Dhanbad, in Guilty which is based on sexual harassment. Speaking of her character, Akanksha told IANS, "After watching the film, every girl has messaged me or reached out to me saying 'sorry' for judging Tanu, or that they all want to be like Tanu. Nobody has told me it is a very bold character. They have either said sorry or they have said they want to be as confident as Tanu, because she has given them more self esteem. Tanu has given me confidence, too. I could not dress the way she does. She is her own person and she doesn't need validation from anybody. People consider her a gold-digger but she knows that she is the gold."
Besides Akansha, Guilty also stars Kiara Advani, who plays the role of a girl whose boyfriend has been accused of sexual assault by Tanu, the character played by Akansha. The storyline explores several possible situations of what might have happened before the truth is revealed.
Speaking of the positive response that Guilty has been getting post its release, Akansha said, "I have dreamt of it my whole life. Before shooting for it, I would think, 'I am going to do my first film and I am going to get this kind of response', so it's a dream come true moment for me."
Guilty also stars Gurfateh Singh Pirzada and Taher Shabbir in pivotal roles. Directed by Ruchi Narain and produced by Karan Johar, the film released on Netflix on March 6.
(With IANS inputs)
