Revolutions Have Some Collateral Damage Too: Varun Grover

Varun Grover has been named in Bollywood’s #MeToo movement.

Varun Grover on being named in the #MeToo movement. 

(Photo courtesy: Facebook)

Trigger Warning: The following article contains details about sexual assault and violence. The details may be traumatic for survivors. Reader discretion is advised.

Screenwriter, comedian and lyricist Varun Grover had released a detailed statement earlier denying the allegations against him. He claimed that they are a defamatory tactic to silence his voice and hamper the #MeToo movement.

He took to social media on Tuesday, 16 October to write a note titled ‘Seeking Closure’ that elaborates on how revolutions have some collateral damage too.

The comedian and writer wrote, ‘Revolutions are beautiful. They are cathartic, powerful, necessary, and like #metoo  —  inevitable. And revolutions, inevitably, have some collateral damage too. Last week has been a whirlwind of sorts in my life. Amidst the distress and confusion, I have discovered the kind solidarity of many strangers. I was at the receiving end of an anonymous allegation that I know and can prove to be false. In the macro perspective, the wave is bigger and way more important than my isolated small case. Centuries of patriarchy and oppression have created a system that cannot be taken down through polite means. However, at the same time, my isolated small case does mean the world to me, my family and friends. It affects not just my mental health and professional life but my ability to take a social stand on every injustice I want to speak about. And therefore, I feel this earnest need to present my side even though no formal complaint has been filed against me. This closure is needed to maintain my own sanity.’

He earlier mentioned that he never participated in the play described in the allegations. He also added that a lot of details in the story, including names and places, are inaccurate. Read the full statement below.

Screenwriter and lyricist Varun Grover is one of the B-Town figures accused of harassment in the onslaught of the #MeToo movement in India. Grover has categorically denied the allegations. “I completely, totally, absolutely deny all of it, line by line. The whole account never happened,” he said to CNN-News18.

Here’s the anonymous account shared on Twitter.

Grover took to Twitter to insist that the screenshot in question is “untrue, misleading, and defamatory to say the least”.

Anurag Kashyap came forward to support Grover after he denied the allegations made against him.