Sajid Khan’s return to mainstream Bollywood projects — a director who was accused during India’s #MeToo movement — has reignited controversy over the industry’s unsettling ease with brushing survivors aside while silently rehabilitating suspected offenders. His return to the entertainment circuit is an indication of Bollywood’s systemic failure to confront workplace sexual misconduct with accountability.
Khan, who was accused of harassment by actors and assistants, was temporarily dropped from projects and received industry criticism. Yet, the absence of official repercussions and the industry’s short memory facilitated his gradual comeback, raising serious questions regarding justice, gender equality, and women’s safety in cinema.
Conversely, the Malayalam film industry, while far from ideal, has displayed slightly improved indications of improvement. High-profile incidents, like the Dileep scandal, prompted industry-wide soul-searching and resulted in the establishment of collectives such as WCC (Women in Cinema Collective), which actively campaign for safer, more transparent working conditions.
Nevertheless, the difference in action between industries implies that although there is some progress region-wise, Indian cinema at large is still averse to institution-level reforms. The tolerance for bringing back purported offenders to power not just disqualifies survivors’ voices but also makes goading the system toward accountability the norm.
