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When it comes to movies, we need to stand up, not just for the national anthem, but also for what is right.

126 dollars. That’s how much Kevin Spacey’s latest film Billionaire Boys Club made on its opening day. Sounds about right for a movie featuring an alleged sexual offender facing at least 30 accusations of assault. Ironically, Spacey plays an immoral guru in the film who teaches his mentees how to con people for a living and get away with it.

Also read: Even after #MeToo, powerful men like Ali Zafar will always win in Pakistan

The meagre ticket sale for Spacey’s movie is even more delicious when you compare it to the Rs 100 crore or even Rs 200 crore Bollywood box office openings for films that star or endorse actors facing criminal charges.

When the first allegation came out against Spacey in October 2017, he did the most unthinkable thing. He used it as a moment for himself and came out as gay. Sure there are 365 days in a year, but why miss an opportunity to misuse the limelight.

But pay Spacey did. Netflix fired him from the popular House of Cards series in which he played the lead role. As did director Ridley Scott from his film All the Money in the World. Scott then re-shot all the scenes with Christopher Plummer. Netflix also cancelled the Gore Vidal biopic in which Spacey was supposed to star.

These firings did not come free of cost. It cost production houses millions of dollars, but the statement they were sending out was probably worth even more. The #MeToo movement rattled the film industry like no other. For the first time, powerful, rich sexual abusers were realising that silence cannot be bought.

Also read: Unlike West’s ‘MeToo’, subcontinent’s men don’t hang their heads in shame. Women do

So, when movies like Billionaire Boys Club rake in 126 dollars, it’s a message. People won’t see films that have any association with paedophiles, rapists, sexual abusers or criminals.

Are we Indians ready to do the same?

No. Our #MeToo movement seems to be caught in a limbo. Raya Sarkar’s crowd-sourced list of alleged sexual predators in academia itself received a huge backlash (here’s looking at you, Kafila). Most Indian actors either don’t want to comment on #MeToo or think that we are far from one.

And why won’t they be sceptical?

Here is a country that practically worships its film stars. All sins are forgiven for those at the top. Some men, who have served time in prison, get endearing biopics and a fresh lease of stardom (here’s looking at you, Sanju). Others suddenly become human. Salman Khan will possibly never go to jail, even though he was convicted by lower courts in both the 2002 hit-and-run case and the 1998 blackbuck poaching case. But Brutus is an honourable man; courts later overturned these judgments or granted him bail.

When he was initially sentenced to five years in jail for the 2002 case, the film fraternity broke down. An actor even tweeted, “No prison can hold a heart so big”.

Since then, Khan has gone on to star in movie after movie, raking in crores for the industry. His fans dote on him.

However, is every actor/producer clean? Surely some of them have dark histories lurking in the shadows. But here we have a nexus of power-money-stardom that stands sentinel against any trembling complaint.

We have deified our heroes to the extent that we’ve made it impossible for them to fall, like a house of cards.

When Telugu actress Sri Reddy stripped on the streets to protest casting couch in the industry, actors and directors called her a ‘prostitute’ and said she was bringing ‘shame’ to the nation.

In such an atmosphere, where we victim-blame first and defend later, boycotting movies to make a statement is still a tall ask. We need to stand up, not just for the national anthem, but also for what is right.

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