It is important to handle the #MeToo movement responsibly: Kriti Sanon

Mumbai: Kriti Sanon Sunday praised women for sharing their stories of sexual harassment in the wake of the #MeToo movement and said the fear which is being instilled in the offenders, courtesy the campaign, is a welcome change. The actor said she hopes the movement is here to stay “but we need to make sure this does not get diluted.” 

“It takes a lot of courage for a girl to come out in the open and talk about her #MeToo story and hats off to the ones who have spoken up. Thanks to you girls and the movement that now people will fear being caught if they wrong anyone. This fear was much need and is hopefully here to stay,” she posted on Twitter. Kriti, however, questioned the anonymity of some of the alleged victims, saying just one fake account can malign someone’s name and career. 

“What happens when a #MeToo story of an ‘anonymous’ girl comes out against someone? Do we simply believe it without knowing who the girl is or if she even exists? How does one inspect such an incident in order to come to any conclusion? Is it fair to consider the accuse ‘guilty’ when the #MeToo story does not come with the victim’s name? 

“Should the media carry such stories? It takes just one story to spoil someone’s name and career. It is important that we handle the movement responsibly and find a lawful way. Ultimately there has to be a legal repercussion of #MeToo for it to be enduringly effective.”  The actor urged both women and men to reveal their identity or follow the legal route while sharing their stories. 

“I urge all the women/men who want to share their #MeToo stories to either come out in the open with their names and faces or file an FIR or a legal case (while asking for your identity to not be given to media or public) so that the case can be at least inspected and the #MeToo movement does not get misused or diluted,” she said. 

Kriti’s statement comes days after the director of her upcoming film “Housefull 4”, Sajid Khan, stepped down from his duties after he was accused of sexually harassing three female actors and a journalist. Filmmaker Farhad Samji has taken over the project as the director.