Actor-musician-author Karan Oberoi who was imprisoned for a month in May 2019 after an alleged sexual harassment case which turned out to be false, says in an interview with Subhash K Jha that Johnny Depp’s victory in his domestic-abuse case with his ex-wife is a victory for the MenToo movement.
Karan, did the verdict in favour of Johnny Depp ring a bell?
It sure did! Johnny Depp, the big movie star who was a wolf, a man-beast, a druggie, a wife-beater and a loathed man six years back is bold, truthful and wronged!
How did that happen?
Because the truth tumbled out after tremendous hardship on the face of a massive media and online onslaught which almost cost him his career.
Why is this significant for the MenToo movement?
Because he is Johnny Depp and more importantly, a man! Shouldn’t we now train our guns on Amber Heard and make her go through the same ordeal? And should we start vilifying every woman who has claimed something against a man? Or the entire MeToo movement?
Should we?
Absolutely not! Johnny Depp’s victory is significant because it ought to teach us to restrain till we know the absolute truth based on facts and not feed our lynch-mob hunger.
How will it affect us as Indians?
I hope it will make the judiciary change the laws which are right heavily lopsided? I hope we look at such cases with a little more sensitivity. I hope this will start a dialogue on men as potential victims rather than being perpetually perceived as predators. What the dialogue ought to be rather than what is right now, is even more important now!
After your experience where the woman was believed blindly and later arrested for false charges, do you feel men ought to be heard more strongly in harassment cases?
The ‘Them Vs Us’ narrative is the bane of human existence. No man is always wrong and no woman is always right and vice versa. If we are true believers of feminism and women’s empowerment, then we ought to treat everyone as equals.
But women have traditionally been at the receiving end of gender prejudices?
There is no sense in facilitating a feeling of entitlement for being a certain gender even if that gender has been wronged for ages. The only way correction can happen is by the right balance based on truth. Believe me, that rectification of the lopsidedness will really set us free.
In what way would it set us free?
It will restore the delicate balance between the sexes and also scrutinize the lopsided laws in India. In the name of women’s empowerment if we give absolute power to one gender then that power can and will be misused. It’s akin to giving somebody a Tommy gun to fire at will with zero accountability! Even the vast majority of women acknowledge that!
So is it time to set the gender imbalance right?
Oh yes! It’s time for course correction and deep introspection for us as a nation and as a society. Let’s collectively build a social order based on egalitarian principles and love. Nothing less!
What according to you should be the cautionary fine prints in any sex-related case?
Please hold your horses before passing value judgements until you know the absolute truth. It can cost someone his life! It almost cost me mine. It has taken me months and years to heal. Don’t reduce a man to statistics even if the percentage of wronged men is minuscule. Any movement, be it MeToo or MenToo shouldn’t be about optics but the ultimate truth and justice for either of the genders.
Any final words?
Johnny Depp got justice because he was rich and powerful. What about all those nameless faceless men languishing in jail after being wrongly accused of sex crimes?
Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha.
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