It’s a man’s world and even though we don’t accept it, the truth doesn’t change. Of course, when we talk about patriarchy or call it out, we wish for a world with equity. To make that happen, we need men just as much as we need women – just how feminism is important for both men and women. Fortunately, in this twisted world, there are some hopeful instances where men called out their peers on their misogyny.
Like when these celebrities to took a stand against their peers:
1. Naseerudin Shah
In a conversation with We Are Yuvaa, Naseerudin Shah called out hypermasculine films that are being celebrated these days. He talked about RRR, Pushpa and Kabir Singh, adding that he was unable to watch films that are downright problematic. The actor also said that it stems from men’s insecurities and he wouldn’t watch or appreciate cinema for doing that.
“Main imagine nahin kar paata aapke andar jo jazbaat chhupe hue hain, jo aisi filmein feed karti hain.”
2. Vijay Varma
While doing a segment to promote one of his projects, Vijay Varma read comments on social media and reacted to them. A comment said that women complaining about their periods disgusts them. He responded and said that the same men write poetry about heartbreak, and so it’s hypocritical when they judge women for complaining about something they deal with each month.
“Matlab ek baar inka dil toot-ta hai, wo teen saal tak gandi shaayari likhte hain aur mahine mein har baar ladki ko pain hota hai, uske baare mein bole bhi na?”
Also Read: Sex Law in India
3. Varun Grover
When Anurag Kashyap shared a post with Sandeep Reddy Vanga, praising the director and his film, Animal, Varun Grover went on to comment on it. The response was a simple “No.” but it was more than what most people said in Bollywood. In addition, this feedback is proof that it’s not just some people from the ‘audiences’ that are finding the film problematic.
4. Neeraj Ghaywan
On the same post, Neeraj Ghaywan also commented with a “cringe”, and in a way it was quite literally what most of us for thinking. A director telling another director that what they’re doing might not be right, is important and needed, especially now. So when Sandeep Reddy Vanga said that some audiences didn’t get his film, he cannot really say the same for a male director in the same industry.
5. Javed Akhtar
At this point, Animal is a litmus test to check for misogyny – which is one good thing that the film has done. In a recent event, when Javed Akhtar was asked to give a speech, he talked about the kind of cinema that is being celebrated today. He added that if a film shows a man asking a woman to lick his shoe, then celebrating such a film is plain dangerous.
6. Farhan Akhtar
When the Kerala High Court spoke about a survivor of abuse, they called her a “ravished woman”. This was one of the misogynistic points of the judgement. Farhan Akhtar was one of the only people from the industry who spoke up about it, and called it out. Celebrities have a platform that, if used properly, can do a lot, so it’s important that they speak up even if it doesn’t concern the industry.
7. Abhay Deol
In talking about his film, Dev. D, Abhay Deol took to Instagram to discuss the misogyny associated with the character in the book, originally. He said that in his version of the story, he wanted Dev to suffer because he was a chauvinist, ignorant man surrounded by women who had a lot more integrity than he did.
“I had read the book and I could see that the character was a chauvinist, a misogynist, entitled, and arrogant. Yet he had been romanticized for decades!”
8. Shoojit Sircar
During the lockdown, late actor Rishi Kapoor shared a meme which was perceived as problematic for its mockery on women. He had written that having to hear a woman for all days of the weemen call out sexismk was a “side effect” of the coronavirus. Director Shoojit Sircar also went on to comment and call out the meme for its misogyny. He said that women have been locked in homes since forever to serve families, and they don’t even get to complain.
“Ya just 5 days – women/wives/mothers have been locked down since generations serving the family.”
At least, some men are undoing the effects of the scary stuff that exists.