'Admire Her Resilience': Tanushree Dutta Supports Dileep Case Assault Survivor
The survivor in the Kerala actor sexual assault case spoke out for the first time in public on Monday.
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Actor Tanushree Dutta took to Instagram to lend support to the survivor in the Kerala actor sexual assault case after the latter spoke out for the first time in public on Monday. Tanushree also touched upon how her journey, too, has been excruciatingly difficult.
Tanushree had sparked what was to become Bollywood’s #MeToo movement after she accused Nana Patekar of sexual harassment on the sets of Horn OK Pleassss in 2008 in an interview with Zoom TV. She had also filed an FIR against him. However, Patekar was given a clean chit in the case in 2019.
"I just came to know about this brave, beautifull & gracefull woman, who has continued her fight for justice despite years of antagonism & oppression", Tanushree wrote.
She added, "I had to move on to build up my broken psyche, life & career. I had no one who remotely loved me enough to continue to stand by me & provide the real tangible assistance needed. All I had are people who would much rather see me struggle & fail so I can give them company in their eternal misery!"
"So basically I just got tired of being negative, hatefull, angry, full of rage at being lied, humiliated & belittled by anyone & everyone who had a say and platform. All the fake feminists also vanished overnight & I was left to struggle for basic survival. Movements don't run a household work does!!"
Tanushree continued by saying that for years she fought anxiety and depression because of the trauma from the incident. "It's showbiz and they say that you can only look as good as you feel. I had already spent a large part of the 12 years post 2008 feeling low, anxious, depressed, angry & gloomy. (I have been on medication for chronic anxiety last two years) I finally feel normal & myself again because I avoided this topic. For years after the Horn ok pleasse incident I was unable to take up & hold a job due to my anxiety, depression & ptsd".
She also said that the prime witnesses in her case were silenced and the case was closed despite repeated attempts on her part to seek justice. "Prime witnesses were coerced into silence & my case file went into the cold storage & deadlock despite repeated attempts to make something out of it. There was no point fighting when no body wants you to win. It felt a total waste of energy for a sensitive & creative soul who just wants to act, sing, dance, love & live life!".
Tanushree signed off by saying that she decided to ignore the incident and focus on her health and work instead.
In her statement, the Kerala assault survivor wrote as to how there were numerous attempts to humiliate and silence her, but she always received support in her fight. Actor Dileep is one of the main accused in the case.
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