Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali has been under fire for his comments on the casting couch in Bollywood and was even called out by filmmaker-writer Vinta Nanda who questioned him for speaking on behalf of the women. Now, the filmmaker has taken note of ire coming his way and said his words were misunderstood.  

Imtiaz breaks silence

The filmmaker took to Instagram Story to react to the stir caused by his statements and getting slammed by Vinta. He reposted a story about Vinta’s criticism to share his side of the story.

Sharing his clarification, Imtiaz said, "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."

“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,” he added.

Imtiaz’s remarks on casting couch

Imtiaz spoke about the issue of casting couch issue in Bollywood at IFFI Goa, where he shrugged off the perception that compromising guarantees success.

“I have been a director in the Hindi film industry for 15-20 years. I have heard a lot about the casting couch. A girl comes in, she's scared, and she feels the need to compromise. 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,” he said as reported by India Today.

The director stressed the importance of self-respect. He shared, “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".

Vinta slams Imtiaz

The statement by Imtiaz, known for films such as Love Aaj Kal, Highway, Jab We Met, Jab Harry Met Sejal, and Laila Majnu, didn’t go down well with everyone.

Vinta posted a statement on Instagram which read, “Imtiaz Ali should stop pontificating about what women face in the entertainment industry. Naturally, a Kareena Kapoor is safe because she is privileged. And, he surely must know that the casting couch exists! 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 in the taken place."

In the caption, she tagged Imtiaz Ali and wrote: “It’s shocking to see reports of @imtiazaliofficial making all sorts of statements about women’s issues on an important industry platform like @iffigoa. With zero experience, he should have abstained from speaking instead. Who believes there’s no casting couch in the entertainment industry and that women are safe here Raise your hands!”

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