Alia Bhatt says Bollywood hasn't had a #MeToo movement yet due to fear of victim shaming

Bollywood actress  Alia Bhatt believes victim blaming is the chief reason why Bollywood has not had a #MeToo reckoning yet. Ahead of the release of her upcoming spy thriller Raazi, Alia spoke to Anupama Chopra in an interview with Film Companion about a “mindset” problem that exists in our country. “There’s a very big misconception that if you’ve been sexually assaulted or molested or been exploited in any way, with the kind of culture we come from, there’s a certain reservation. I’m saying this only because I also portrayed a character like this in Highway. There’s a certain sense that it becomes your fault,” she said. [caption id=“attachment_4463267” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Alia Bhatt. Image via Twitter[/caption] Also read: Alia Bhatt on working with Meghna Gulzar: 'I'm glad I have done Raazi because I get to live this character' The culture of sexual violence is ingrained in India’s patriarchal society and Alia believes victims fail to report the crime due to a combination of factors from a fear of being stigmatised and shamed to a criminal justice system that lacks proper sensitivity training. “Your families look at you in a certain way. Who’s going to marry me? Where am I going to go after this? How will people look at me? It becomes the girl’s fault,” she says. She admits even people in the Bollywood film industry have a similar mindset. So, she says it would take a lot of courage for actors to “come out and speak up.” Raazi, a cross-border spy drama set in Kashmir and based on the book Calling Sehmat, is directed by Meghna Gulzar. _Also watch: Raazi stars Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal and director Meghna Gulzar discuss their upcoming film_ The film also features Vicky Kaushal and Soni Razdan. It is set to release on 11 May. Watch the full interview here: