Alok Nath's flippant and dismissive response to Vinta Nanda's rape allegation reeks of arrogance

“Kuch to log kahenge” is how Alok Nath reacted to the heart-wrenching rape allegations by veteran television writer and producer Vinta Nanda.

In a conversation with ABP News, the actor dismissed the accusations m ade in a Facebook post that recounted the horror saying, “Neither I am denying this nor do I agree with it. It (rape) must have happened, but someone else would have done it. Well, I do not want to talk much about it as for the matter if it has come out, it will be stretched… We only have to hear to women’s stand because they are considered weak." He ended the conversation talking about his friendship with Vinta and claiming he “made her (Vinta) what she is”.

Since the #MeToo movement hit Hollywood last September, there’s been a barrage of apologies and excuses from men from all walks of life for different degrees of assault and sexual misconduct. This is perhaps the most flippant and dismissive reaction we’ve heard from someone who has been accused of a heinous crime like rape.

It’s taken Vinta almost 20 years to tell her story of harassment, sexual assault and abuse that started on the sets of the hit Tv show Tara, and just about five minutes for the man who epitomised ‘sanskaari’ values in desi pop culture, to dismiss them.

Vinta’s graphic and damning post, offered details about “an alcoholic, shameless and obnoxious” man who was “also the television star of that decade, so not only was forgiven for all his bad behavior but many of the guys would egg him on to be his worst”. She went to describe him harassing her lead actress, a claim that’s been now backed by Navneet Nishan, who played the lead role in Tara. She goes on to describe the morning after a party at this man’s house at the end of which he drives her home. “I hadn’t just been raped, I was taken to my own house and had been brutalized.”

Though Vinta didn’t name Alok in her original post, it didn’t take the online community to connect the dots; especially because Navneet had spoken about his misconduct way back in 1994. No one paid attention to this then but that can’t happen again. Alok has to be held accountable for what he did to both Navneet and Vinta.

There’s a narrative that’s built around women who report abuse by a man in power that makes it easy to dismiss their allegations.

Kathryn Moyorga, who accused soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo of rape, has been dismissed as someone looking for fame. During the Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing in the US Senate, Dr Christine Blasey Ford, who accused him of assault when they were teenagers, was repeatedly asked ‘how can she remember something that happened decades ago’. This is exactly what Alok is trying to do when he says, “It (rape) must have happened, but someone else would have done it”.

Ask any woman who has lived through the trauma of sexual harassment or even worse, assault and she’ll tell you that she remembers every little detail. To quote Girls star Lena Dunham’s tweet from August 2017, “Things women do lie about: what they ate for lunch. Things women don’t lie about: rape”.

Alok Nath’s tone and words suggest that he doesn’t take Vinta or her words seriously enough. Someone needs to remind him that the ’90s are long gone and women won’t keep quiet any more.