OPINION | Women in Bollywood Spoke Up. Now They Are Being Character Assassinated

The sheer quantity of attacks and vicious trolling that has been launched against Bachchan and other actresses like Taapsee Pannu, Richa Chadha, Vidya Balan, Swara Bhasker, Deepika Padukone, and Shruti Seth in recent times for saying what they believe in, is a proof why our country likes to celebrate and embrace the mainstream culture of toxic masculinity (also, on the big screen), where women are expected to endure in silence.

Women Who Spoke Their Minds

Without taking names or an attempt to degrade anyone, Jaya Bachchan, on Tuesday criticised those defaming the film industry over the alleged drug nexus in Bollywood. “Just because there are a few people, you cannot tarnish the image of the entire industry,” Bachchan said, adding the industry brings international name and fame besides a base for political ambitions.

To put things into perspective, Bachchan simply took a stand for her workplace that gave recognition to her talent and where she contributed 50 years of her life, even as the government told the Lok Sabha that no “actionable inputs” were received on any nexus between people in the film industry and drug traffickers in the backdrop of allegations on the matter following Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. And yet, she was termed “a shameless lady,” “traitor,” “sh**” and whatnot. However, those who think (you know who you are) that these trolls could tame a fiercely independent woman like Bachchan, are highly mistaken as this was not the first time when she dared to go against the tide. From calling out moral policing on women’s clothes to the underrepresentation of female personnel in paramilitary police forces, Bachchan, a recipient of Best Parliamentarian Award, has been among a very few actor-turned-politicians who has used her platform to address important issues.