Karan Johar on #MeToo movement, 'Sex minus consent equals sexual harassment'

The #MeToo movement that sparked a row of controversies across India in October had called out many celebrated and eminent names from the Bollywood fraternity for alleged sexual harassment, inappropriate behavior and molestation. Nana Patekar, Sajid Khan, Vikas Bahl, Rajat Kapoor, and Alok Nath, among others, are a few names that were dragged into the controversy. However, many bigwigs like Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and Karan Johar chose to remain mum on the topic.

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But to break the silence, Karan has finally given out words on the issue on his radio show Calling Karan. Someone on the show asked Karan how to get consent, “ So how do you get consent? You ask for it! You have to ask, 'Are you ok with this?' or 'Do you want to do this'.  It's important for people to understand both, the verbal as well as the non-verbal communication they get from someone they're with. These are the basics; basics that we often tend to forget. When you come close to someone when you're about to get intimate, how can you not ask for consent?" replied the Bollywood filmmaker.

Karan further added that “Sending someone pictures of your private parts is also not cool! Kissing someone or touching them inappropriately while they're drunk, is not cool. Persisting with flirtatious texts, even after someone has explicitly expressed discomfort, is definitely not cool! You must respect the boundaries that others set for you, and that's precisely what you ask for consent, and always respect the answer."

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The Ae Dil Hai Mushkil director also asserted, “Sex minus consent equals sexual harassment! That's the math, and it can't be any simpler. And hence, it's really important to keep asking the question, and always respect the answer."

The #MeToo movement was triggered in India after Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of sexually harassing her on the sets of 2008 film Horn Ok Pleasss. This movement gave courage to the many feared voices in the show-biz industry and also across different fraternities.