AR Rahman shared his opinion on the ongoing #MeToo movement in India and said that some of the names of survivors and predators have shocked him. The Oscar-winning composer supported India’s #MeToo movement but added, “We should be careful in creating a new internet justice system, in case it’s misused.”
However, Rahman shared his view sometime after his sister AR Raihanah told The News Minute that she had heard stories of acclaimed lyricist Vairamuthu’s sexual misconduct. Vairamuthu was accused of sexually harassing Chinmayi Sripaada.
Vairamuthu and AR Rahman have worked together on several projects including Mani Ratnam’s Roja, for which they both won National Awards in their respective categories.
AR Rahman’s took to Twitter to share his opinion. His statement read: “Been observing the #MeToo movement. Some of the names have shocked me… both the victims and their perpetrators. I would love to see our industry become cleaner and respectful of women. More power to all the victims coming forward… Social media offers great freedom for victims to speak up, however, we should be careful in creating a new internet justice system, in case it’s misused.”
His sister spoke to The News Minute and said, “Several women have told me about Vairamuthu. It is an open secret and a lot of people have faced it.” She also added, that Vairamuthu has ‘behaved with dignity’ with her. “I have not faced it personally. He has behaved with great dignity to me in the few meetings that we have had. How can I blame him? What right do I have? Whoever has experienced harassment must report it.”
In the new wave of #MeToo movement, top film personalities such as Alok Nath, Subhash Ghai and Vikas Bahl among others have been implicated.
Also read: #MeToo: Every word said about Anu Malik is true, says Alisha Chinai