Apurva Asrani condemns sexual misconduct in Hollywood

It’s an open secret that there are many Harvey Weinsteins and Kevin Spaceys in Bollywood, although no one is likely to come forward about them for the fear of ostracism. However, filmmaker Apurva Asrani feels  Hollywood exposes will serve the purpose of warning sexual predators.

“Any kind of sexual misconduct must be condemned, and paedophilia is the worst kind. Anthony Rapp’s revelation shows that men too can be victims of sexual abuse. Not much is being done to protect boys from sexual predators,” says Apurva, who has worked on movies like Shahid and CityLights.

He further feels that the expose will help Spacey in the long run. “I am glad he is exposed, he can get help. We must understand that paedophilia is a disorder, termed as a paedophilic disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, that requires treatment,” he adds.

As for the sexual predators in Bollywood Apurva says, “They should be exposed, so they stop killing dreams and self-confidence of innocents.”

But he thoroughly disapproves of media trials. “The problem is we are trying the alleged abusers on media platforms even before a proper investigation happens. Do you remember how we had once pronounced the Talvars guilty and called for them to be hung from a tree? Now, they are declared innocent. I request people to exercise restraint while the authorities do a thorough investigation. While sexual misconduct must be condemned in the strongest terms, we cannot condemn people without knowing the full truth. One news article or two tweets are not enough to draw full-blown conclusions,” he adds.

So are gay men more vulnerable to charges of a sexual transgression than heterosexuals? Apurva ponders hard. “I know that gay men silently and unfairly suffer a society that continually rejects them. I also believe that sexual repression can lead many to have psychiatric problems and deviant personalities,” he says.

Noting that medical alibi does not exonerate sexual predators of showbiz, Apurva adds, “Whether Spacey’s misconduct is born out of this repression or out of a sense of power, I do not know. There is no excuse for this kind of behaviour. The psychology of a sick mind need to be understood to eradicate the problem from its root, but it cannot be justified.”