Salman Khan: The 'Harvey Weinstein of Bollywood' who never faced consequences of his actions

‘He is the Harvey Weinstein of Bollywood’ said Somy Ali, Pakistani-American actress, in context to Bollywood actor Salman Khan in a now-deleted Instagram post. “The Harvey Weinstein of Bollywood! You will be exposed. The women you abused will come out one day and share their truth. Just like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan”, read the post with a still image from Salman Khan’s debut film Maine Pyar Kiya. According to a report in the Economic Times, Somy Ali had dated Salman between 1991-1998 and was among the Dabangg actor’s long list of ex-girlfriends including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Katrina Kaif and Sangeeta Bijlani. Somy shared her story — complete with graphic details in an Instagram post on Thursday. “He poured a glass of Thumbs up over my hair because it had rum in it and it was the first time I was trying alcohol. There was an actor friend with me there as well and she witnessed the whole thing. I respect her and will not mention her name”. Somy also revealed that she is traumatized as a result of her experiences with the actor and still has ‘nightmares about him’. When asked in an interview about the lack of support from the industry, Somy said “I don’t want and nor do I expect support from the industry as they are all his friends no matter what he has done and will continue doing” while also revealing she has received legal threats from Salman’s lawyer after she went public with her allegations.

Bollywood — Your silence is deafening

Somy, of course, is not the only actress who has gone on record and shared how Salman was abusive to her. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, an A-list actress who is a household name in India and has many cult hits and blockbuster movies in her filmography, is also a survivor. Contrary to the popular perception that Aishwarya didn’t speak up about her abuse back in the day, there are multiple interviews of the Guru actress where she spoke at length about the same. In a 2002 interview with The Times of India , Aishwarya said, “Salman and I broke up last March, but he isn’t able to come to terms with it. After we broke up, he would call me and talk rubbish. He also suspected me of having affairs with my co-stars. I was linked up with everyone, from Abhishek Bachchan to Shah Rukh Khan. There were times when Salman got physical with me, luckily without leaving any marks. And I would go to work as if nothing had happened”.

Salman responded to the allegations saying, “No. I have never beaten her. Anyone can beat me up. Any fighter here on the sets can thrash me. That is why people are not scared of me. I do get emotional. Then I hurt myself. I have banged my head against the wall; I have hurt myself all over. I cannot hurt anyone else. I have only hit Subhash Ghai”, Pinkvilla quoted a leading daily as saying. One cannot help but wonder why Bollywood stars — A-listers, new-age actors and even veteran celebrities continue to endorse Salman despite such serious allegations against him. Even more disturbing is that the actor has multiple brand endorsements in his kitty despite the allegations — compare this to the US where men who were named in the #MeToo movement were instantly dropped from ad campaigns because brands refused to associate themselves with problematic people. But in India, we rarely outrage where outrage is needed.

That is not all. Aishwarya also spoke about domestic abuse at…wait for it…Cannes Film Festival. According to a Times of India report, Aishwarya Rai, when asked by a journalist if she has ever been subjected to domestic abuse, said in a ‘dramatic moment of confessing’ — ‘Yes, wait for my biography’. Meanwhile, Khan, in an interview to NDTV, responded by saying — ‘If I ever hit a woman, she wouldn’t survive’.

Innocent until proven guilty

Of course, an allegation is just that — an allegation. Innocent until proven guilty. None of the allegations against Salman have been proven legally so one cannot expect the actor to face the music — not yet. However, it is alarming that Khan didn’t face even the slightest blowback or backlash when the allegations against him resurfaced in 2017 during the #MeToo movement. None of the Bollywood stars or even actresses who claim to be staunch feminists — the likes of Deepika Padukone, Kangana Ranaut or Alia Bhatt call him out on the same. Instead, they shared the stage with him as they promoted their upcoming films on the reality show Bigg Boss. No one should be subjected to unfair media trials where a single person plays the judge, jury and the executioner — but should the allegations against an actor, some of them as serious as domestic abuse, be brushed under the carpet? This when stars who are far less powerful and lesser known than Salman, who is a Bollywood biggie in his own right, are facing far more severe repercussions? Not that abuse or trauma can be quantified or compared — but shouldn’t punishment be in proportion to the crime? In this case, the crime happens to be far more serious while the punishment is non-existent.

The most abhorrent of all is that many blame the actresses for not speaking up. On this, Somy Ali wrote, “Rummage through any tabloid or a film magazine from the early 90’s to 1999 and you will read articles about Somy being physically abused by Salman. This is what truly baffles me as to why everyone is finding this as if it was never brought to light back in the 90’s. I simply stopped talking about it the way I never brought up being a victim of childhood abuse.

Shouldn’t there at least be a demand for a fair trial? Don’t actresses or even actors like Vivek Oberoi who have been verbally abused by Salman allegedly — deserve justice? Or is Bollywood still the same Big Daddies Club where none of the actors are held accountable for their actions? As Bollywood film watchers and consumers of celebrity pop-culture, we must hold our actors — even those who are higher up in the food chain, accountable for their actions. As for the Bollywood fraternity which has failed its women time and again, this is disappointing but not really surprising.

We leave you with this interview of Somy Ali talking about her equation with Salman Khan.

Deepansh Duggal is an entertainment, pop-culture and trends writer based in New Delhi. He specializes in op-eds based on the socio-political and gender issues in the world of entertainment and showbiz. He also writes explainers and occasionally reviews shows in the OTT space. He tweets at @Deepansh75. 

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