Pawan Singh and Anjali Raghav's feud: The need for women's voices to not require viral videos for recognition

In a shocking incident that mirrors the same imbalance faced by leading Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone, Bhojpuri actress Anjali Raghav found herself in an uncomfortable situation during a promotional event in Lucknow. Anjali was inappropriately touched by Pawan Singh, a Bhojpuri actor and MP, on stage.

The incident went viral, and only then did outrage pour in and Anjali found the space to speak up. Society often teaches women to laugh off, stay silent, and move on in the face of inappropriate behavior. But Anjali's decision to exit the Bhojpuri industry is a critical comment on a culture that normalizes harassment.

Deepika Padukone, too, faced a similar ordeal when she publicly called out a leading Indian daily for zooming their cameras at her cleavage. Her act of defiance was powerful not because it was rare, but because it was rare for a woman of her stature to say "enough".

Unfortunately, the pattern of men misbehaving, women paying the price, and public outrage tipping the scales continues to repeat. Forgiveness does not equate to consent, and an apology does not guarantee accountability in cases of harassment. A woman's discomfort, "no", and boundaries should be enough to prevent and address harassment.

Industries and audiences need to start respecting women's boundaries to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. Homi Adajania, a film director, supported Deepika Padukone in the cleavage row, stating that women should not have to face such intrusions.

Anjali Raghav was represented by lawyer Ruchira Ganguly in the Bhojpuri industry incident. Ganguly emphasized the need for a change in the culture that cheers men's inappropriate behavior and dismisses women's discomfort.

The culture that allows such incidents to occur needs to change. Public outrage is often necessary for issues of harassment to be acknowledged and addressed. It's high time we start treating women with the respect and dignity they deserve, both on and off the screen.