Swara Bhasker has spoken about an uncomfortable experience from the early years of her acting career. The actor recalled how a film director allegedly harassed her during an outdoor shoot in Madhya Pradesh.
The incident allegedly took place in 2011, when Swara was still finding her feet in the film industry. She also revealed how the film's executive producer stepped in to support her and eventually became someone she could rely on professionally.
In a conversation with The Free Press Journal, Swara looked back at the experience, which happened during a film shoot in Pachmarhi. At the time, she had recently appeared in Tanu Weds Manu and was in her early twenties. She said she did not have a personal team or industry contacts who could help her deal with such a situation.
"I was vulnerable in a very different way. I didn't have a personal team, I didn't have people that I could reach out to," she said.
Swara revealed that she did not immediately understand that the director's behaviour amounted to sexual harassment. Since there had been no physical contact, she struggled to identify what was happening as workplace harassment.
"I didn't even know, I didn't identify it as sexual harassment at the workplace while it was happening because since the man had made no physical contact with me," the actor shared.
It was much later, after the MeToo movement gained attention, that Swara began looking at the incident differently. While reading accounts shared by other women, the actor realised that her experience also fell under sexual harassment.
"I was like, oh my God, this is harassment. It's like a textbook case of harassment," Swara said.
Swara Bhasker also spoke about the difficult position she was in during the shoot. The project had a 56-day schedule, and the alleged harassment had started within the first few days. However, walking away from the film was not something she wanted to consider, especially at a stage when she was trying to establish herself as an actor.
She pointed out that women may find it difficult to speak up or leave such situations because their careers and professional ambitions are also at stake.
She said, "I don't want to leave the project. I don't want to lose work. I mean, I also have my own ambitions, right? Which is fair. Like why shouldn't I?"
The actor eventually decided to speak to the film's executive producer and made him aware of what was happening. She credited him with making the rest of the shoot easier for her by standing up for her and offering support.
"He actually became my friend. He protected me. At that time and today he's my manager," she shared.
Looking back at the incident, Swara also spoke about how important it is for young women entering the workplace to understand their boundaries.
"Speak to people, seek help, seek support and call things out immediately because now we can actually do it," she concluded.
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