Writer-editor-filmmaker Apurva Asrani speaks on Kevin Spacey & sexual misconduct in the entertainment business

By Subhash K. Jha -

November 7, 2017 - 10:34 AM IST

There are many Harvey Weinsteins and Kevin Spaceys in Bollywood, though no one is likely to come forward to expose them for the fear of ostracism. However Apurva Asrani feels Hollywood exposes would serve the purpose of warning sexual predators. Says Apurva, “Any kind of sexual misconduct must be condemned and paedophilia is among the worst kind. Anthony Rapp’s brave revelation goes to show that men too can be victims of sexual abuse and also points out that not much is being done to protect boys from sexual predators.”

Writer-editor-filmmaker Apurva Asrani speaks on Kevin Spacey & sexual misconduct in the entertainment business

Apurva feels the expose will also help Kevin Spacey in the long run. “I am glad Kevin Spacey is exposed, so that he can also get help. We must understand that paedophilia is a psychiatric disorder which requires treatment. Paedophilia is termed paedophilic disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It is officially a psychiatric disorder.”

As for the sexual predators in Bollywood Apurva feels, “They should be exposed, so that they stop killing the dreams and the self-confidence of innocents.”

However he thoroughly disapproves of media trials. “The problem is that we are trying the alleged abusers in the media and on social media before any proper investigation can happen. Do you remember how we had once pronounced the Talvars guilty and called for them to be hung from trees? Now the courts have declared them innocent. I request people to exercise restraint while the authorities do a thorough investigation. While sexual misconduct must be condemned in the strongest terms, we cannot condemn people without knowing the full truth. One news article or two tweets are not enough to draw full blown conclusions.”

So are gay men more vulnerable to charges of sexual transgression than heterosexuals? Apurva ponders over that. “This one is a tricky question. One that I have no answer for. While I know that gay men silently and unfairly suffer a society that continually rejects them, I also believe that sexual repression can lead many to have psychiatric problems and deviant personalities.”

However this medical alibi does not exonerate Spacey and the sexual predators of showbiz. Says Apurva, “Whether Spacey’s misconduct is born out of this repression or out of a sense of power I do not know. There is no excuse for this kind of behaviour. The psychology of a sick mind needs to be understood to eradicate the problem from its root, but it cannot be justified.”