Lisa Ray wants to use Salman’s rape gaffe to initiate a dialogue about the usage of the word and gender sensitivity in India.
Lisa Ray wants to use Salman’s rape gaffe to initiate a dialogue about the usage of the word and gender sensitivity in India.
Lisa Ray shared a post last week on Twitter, showing Salman Khan on stage with some of Bollywood’s biggest names, their faces morphed with emoticons of silenced monkeys. It was evident that the feisty actress was making a strong statement about the lack of protest within the Indian entertainment industry against Salman’s now-infamous rape analogy.
Lisa clarifies that she did not intend to pin the blame on Salman for trivialisation of an issue as serious as rape. “I don’t believe in perpetrating a blame game, feeding divisiveness or responding out of anger or judgement at this point,” said Lisa. “However, since the die is cast and the ‘rape’ discussion has entered public discourse once again, this is an opportunity to have a positive dialogue about the usage of the word ‘rape.’”
The actress points out that issues like these are treated far more sensitively in the international media. “In other countries, a trigger-warning is issued before even printing or discussing the word ‘rape’. In India, we need to educate the next generation of girls and boys on why it is a powerful word, how to avoid misusing it and in this way how to learn to treat women and their experiences equal to those of men, and with sensitivity.”
Discussing gender sensitisation of the coming generations further, Lisa mentions that parents must play an important role in conducting discussions. “Both fathers and mothers can play a big role. While the media can overreact at times, a family can use an opportunity like this to examine their own values and attitudes towards the status of women in India.”
Unlike many Bollywood divas, who have kept mum on the Salman issue for the fear of being slammed by his fans, Lisa doesn’t mind getting the flak for standing up. “I know at times this will make me unpopular, but this is the price for standing up for your values and beliefs. First you need to decide on how you feel about what Salman said; does it bother you or no If even one person changes their view on rape and women’s dignity in India after this incident, something positive would have been accomplished. Right now, this is an opportunity to elevate people’s awareness and not to point fingers,” she says.
