Down but not out

Life hasn't necessarily been a bed of roses for former Miss India-turned-actress Tanushree Dutta. After a string of semi-bold roles, she has turned into a controversial actress and has been accused of several things, from being a drug addict to someone seeking cheap publicity.

And then there was the recent showdown on the sets of Horn Ok Pleasss where she accused veteran actor Nana Patekar of sexual harassment. The incident has troubled her a lot.

While some people in the industry have condemned her decision to go against Nana and walk out of the film, there have been many who now have a new found admiration for the actress.

But Tanushree is still reeling from the shock of the incident where a section of the media and those gathered at the sets smashed her car and attacked her family. However, she promises that she will be back stronger and will go at life much harder.

Excerpts from an interview:

There seems be a silver lining to what happened recently with people admiring the way you hit back at the filmmakers and Nana Patekar.

I don't know whether to take this as a compliment or not because only I know what kind of scars it has left on my heart. Yes, it was brave of me to face up to that without shedding a tear and giving it back, but I really hope that no other actress faces such a situation. As a woman when you are working in a male-dominated environment you expect the guys around you to make sure that you are safe and ok and don't come to a stage where you have to get up and fight. But unfortunately, I landed in a situation where I had to fend for myself.

Would you call it a bad phase?

I hope that it was just a phase. Incidentally after that incident I have been getting a lot of offers. In fact, after that the number of offers has actually doubled for some strange reason. I have turned all of them down barring one good film.

Why?

I have suddenly developed a phobia for new people. Today, my criteria for doing a film are only an acclaimed director, producer or actor. After working so hard if such things happen I just feel that I should rather be a glorified showpiece in a big movie and work peacefully than be targeted like this.

Didn't you get any support from the industry?

Yes, the industry did support me. I thought people here will take decisions based on what others say, but there are people who have worked with me before and thankfully they did not pay heed to these rumours.

What do you have to say about being sexually harassed at work?

I have read about several instances of that happening. I handled it well and think every woman can handle it too. Today we are in an age where we can voice our opinion. I did it and handled the situation pretty well. But I could not handle the aftermath. I never expected that to happen. It was disappointing and I was in a shock for two days and could not speak! It was weird. It's actually my fault. I should not be doing films with small producers who use controversies to promote their films. One tends to lose the motivation to work hard. When you work hard and are then called unprofessional and dubbed as someone who throws tantrums, it hurts.

So at the end of this you know who your real friends are and who you don't want to talk anymore?

Yes. I have realised who my real friends are. Now I also know there are people who jump at any opportunity to take advantage. Right now people think I am down and out. This is when I realise who are the people I should and shouldn't keep in touch with.

The good thing is that today I am more ambitious and focussed than before. I will now turn down all those people who haven't stood by me. I may have become lax in between but I had my reasons for it. There were a lot of things happening in my personal life and I decided to give that priority. Now my focus is back on my career.

What lessons have you learnt from this episode?

I have stopped thinking about what people say about me. The first time you are dubbed a villain, you feel bad. You work hard to prove that you are not like that. But when it happens repeatedly you get immune.

What's coming up next?

I am slated to start a movie next month being directed by Neeraj Vohra opposite Govinda. It's called Run Bhola Run. I have worked with Govinda in Bhagam Bhaag before but this will be the first movie opposite him where I have a full fledged role. This is an Asthavinayak movie.