At a time when gender issues are dominating the headlines, filmmaker Sudhir Mishra’s latest offering Inkaar is bound to evoke more than the ususal interest. Starring Arjun Rampal and Chitrangada Singh in the lead roles, the film explores sexual harassment at the workplace.
But Mishra, a director known for his bold and offbeat themes, contends that it is not a problem that really afflicts Bollywood, despite all the stories about casting couches. Relationships in the industry are mostly “consensual”, or “at worst a barter”, said Mishra, best known for Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi about three youngsters in the years of the Emergency.
“Bollywood is the least problematic place. It is the most maligned place because it is an easy target. But what happens is consensual, often. Or may be you can call it at the worst, a barter,” said Mishra, adding, “You can walk away in Bollywood. She doesn’t like a person, she walks away and makes a film with somebody else. But that said, I am not making excuses for everything that happens in Bollywood.”