Actor Shiney Ahuja was recently accused of raping an 18-year-old maid. The preliminary medical reports of the victim have proved that the crime did take place. The incident has shaken Mumbai and raised familiar questions about sexual exploitation within the film industry and of the perception of many within it that they can transgress every social norm without being held accountable.
This is definitely not the first time a film celebrity has been accused of the heinous crime. The list of actors and filmmakers similarly accused in the past is long and includes established personalities such as Rajesh Khanna, Raj Kumar Santoshi, Jackie Shroff, Aditya Pancholi, Shakti Kapoor, Aman Varma and Madhur Bhandarkar.
Some would argue that it is the glamour and power associated with the industry that makes it a prime target of such accusations. Anuraadha Tewari, the young script writer of Madhur Bhandarkar's recent hit 'Fashion', sees it this way, "Glamour in the film industry leads to power, which in turn leads to glamour. It's an attractive vicious cycle that makes the media focus on this industry. There are many reports of sexual exploitation in the political and corporate worlds, but inevitably it is the film industry that is stigmatised." Tewari, who has also scripted Bhandarkar's forthcoming 'Jail', points out that film stars are idolised by the masses. "They become demi-gods and it's the falling of a demi-god that the media love to expose," she says.
Popular actor Kay Kay Menon, who has carved a niche for himself by doing unconventional roles in films such as 'Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi', 'Corporate' and 'Gulaal', also believes that the glamour quotient is at work here. "The problem arises when stupid and ignorant people start perceiving make-believe as real," he philosophises.
However, Anjali Chhabria, psychiatrist and psychotherapist, sees the situation differently. She points out that it is only "because of a more equal legal framework and a pro-active media that the domestic worker even thought of talking about her experience in the open."
Chhabria adds that this kind of behaviour is often seen to be impulsive and that when it comes to film stars, they think, 'I am a big shot so I can probably get away with it.' She notes that the perpetrator can delude himself into believing that since he is desired by many, every woman would want to have a sexual relationship with him. This is especially true for those who are not from film families, says Chhabria, "It becomes a little difficult for them to handle the sudden importance given to them which, in turn, can create a sense in them of being God's gift to humankind."
Mumbai-based psychiatrist Dr Dayal Mirchandani, who founded the Behavioural Science Network, believes there are two aspects that need to be considered: A celebrity status that often leads to a feeling of being beyond the law; and a narcissistic personality attracted towards achieving a celebrity status and often working hard to achieve it. People with this personality also believe that they are beyond the law or that when they have sex with someone they are doing them a favour. While it may exist in a small percentage of celebrities, Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) and celebrity status is a dangerous combination, he points out. As for the exploitation of servants and the poor, it is a hidden, sad and shameful fact that this happens in many homes. Both male and female servants are at the receiving end. Since there is a power difference between the employer and the employee, it is an exploitative relationship even if it involves consensual sex, he underlines.
Sexual harassment is a major occupational hazard for domestic workers, according to Dr Vibhuti Patel, Head of Department, Economics, SNDT's Women University, Mumbai. Says Patel, "Most domestic workers silently suffer the harassment due to fear of retaliation by employers in terms of allegations of theft, physical violence, the loss of employment and even social boycott by their own community." She adds that celebrity rapists also take advantage of their connections to suppress the voice of the victim.
The absence of social security and protective labour legislation only adds to the exploitation of domestic workers. At the recent union meeting of the Gharkam Molkarin Sanghatana, a domestic workers' union in Mumbai, various issues - including the Shiney Ahuja case - were discussed. Revealed Subhadra Dabhade, 40, who works in three houses and earns about Rs 2,500 (US$1=Rs 48.13) a month, "We feel so unsafe and feel we are being visually raped when men stare at us while we clean and sweep the floors." Farzana Shaikh, 30, admitted she always feels insecure when the woman of the house is not around.
Sangeeta Prakash Sonwana, 50, Joint Secretary, Mumbai-Navi Mumbai Ghar Kamgar Sanghatana, another Mumbai-based domestic workers' union, elucidates, "I have been doing domestic work for more than 30 years. I cook meals. There are some responsibilities for employers that should be translated into law but that is not the case. Most domestic workers are illiterate and work for reasons of survival. "Paisey walle aish karte hain, hamari majoborri ka fayda uthatae hain. Aisey logon ko saza milni chahiye ('The rich take advantage of us being poor. They should be punished')," she says, referring to the Shiney Ahuja case.
After 20 years of struggle, the Domestic Workers Bill was passed by the Maharashtra Legislature in January 2009. Says Prakash Reddy, an official of the Gharkam Molkarin Sanghatana Union, "The Bill has been passed but we are still waiting for the rules to be framed and for its implementation." Under the Bill, welfare boards are to be set up to look into concerns and complaints of domestic workers.
There are an estimated 5,00,000 domestic workers, mainly women, in Mumbai alone, and over a million across the state of Maharashtra, according to government estimates. Voluntary bodies estimate this number to be much larger.
A combination of social, economic, legal and gender biases makes the situation of women domestic workers, especially those of adolescent girls, extremely deplorable. In the urban centres, many teenaged domestic workers end up becoming unwed mothers who are eventually deserted and stigmatised. The relationship between an employer and domestic worker is one of the most poignant power struggles that marks everyday life in India.
