Imtiaz Ali REACTS to Vinta Nanda’s criticism on his casting couch remarks; says, “Terrible things have happened & are shameful”

Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali recently faced criticism over his remark on the safety of women on sets and on the casting couch at IFFI Goa. Filmmaker-writer Vinta Nanda questioned why he was chosen to speak on behalf of women. Imtiaz took to Instagram to clarify the statements that he made and was taken to a different angle.

Imtiaz Ali clarifies on his casting couch comment

Imtiaz Ali shared a picture of him and Vinta Nanda and reacted to the criticism regarding his casting couch remark. He wrote, “Uh oh there seems to be a misunderstanding that I must clarify. I haven’t denied or disputed the tons of harassment cases that Vinta ji and many other friends have spoken about; in fact, these incidents are deeply disturbing and must be dealt with severely and consistently.”

He further added, “I was pointing out that it is doubly frustrating that the entire film industry, all those hundreds of men on every set who are otherwise remarkably well-mannered, get a bad name for the acts of a few. Of course, terrible things have happened and continue to happen and they are shameful – as an industry and nation, we should have a zero-tolerance policy towards them. We have to uphold our honour together and regardless of gender.”

Vinta Nanda criticised Imtiaz Ali over his comment on the casting couch

Vinta Nanda had earlier shared a note on Instagram highlighting Imtiaz Ali’s remark on women and the casting couch. In her note, she wrote, “Imtiaz Ali should stop pontificating about what women face in the entertainment industry. Naturally, Kareena Kapoor is safe because she is privileged. And, he surely must know that the casting couch exists.”

She further added, “Why has IFFI Goa selected him to speak on behalf of women? Is it to whitewash the truth? If men like him had the courtesy to abstain from speaking on a subject they have no experience about, one will believe that change is indeed taking place.”

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Here’s what Imtiza Ali stated at IFFI Goa

Imtiza Ali spoke about the issue of casting couch issue in Bollywood at IFFI Goa, where he dismissed the idea that success is assured by compromise. He said, “Let me tell you, if a woman or girl cannot say ‘no,’ her chances of succeeding don’t necessarily increase. It’s not like if a girl compromises, she’ll definitely get a role. If a girl can say ‘no’ and respects herself, only then will others respect her too. People like me and many others often think about whether we take someone seriously or not; we need to respect a person to cast her.”

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