What's The Cost Of MeToo Movement in Bollywood?

Priyansh Ha |Oct 18, 2018

Bollywood lately witness the rising of #MeToo wave, which is drowning out big names like Alok Nath, Nana Patekar, Sajid Khan and now is Vikas Bahl.

Bollywood lately witnesses the rising of #MeToo wave, which is drowning Bollywood big names such as Alok Nath, Nana Patekar, Sajid Khan and now is Vikas Bahl. While the A-list stars have to step out of films and cancel their shoots, other film producers are struggling as being rejected too. These actions show the unity of society for the victims, who have suffered from sexual harassment and could not find the courage to speak up for a long time.

The Unpredictable Financial Loss

To such a high-stakes business like the film industry, the financial losses caused by #MeToo movement are beyond predictable. Let’s have a look at how #MeToo is sweeping over Bollywood and what have been done to reduce the risks.

Standing against the storm are films such as Super 30 from Hrithik Roshan, Akshay’s Housefull 4 and Aamir’s Mogul. However, there are no signs that show these film will have early release days except Super 30.

While Akshay Kumar stopped the shooting for Housefull 4, the producer immediately finds another director to replace Sajid Khan. The same situation happens to the Gulshan Kumar, a biographic film about Mogul, as Aamir Khan has stepped out the film.

According to Atul Mohan, a trade analyst, the film crew of the Housefull 4 had found suitable solutions for the issue. It might take time for the new director to catch up with everything but it’s not a big problem as they still have plenty of time.

What Happened To Nana?

Not only the previous director Sajid Khan but Housefull 4’s cast member, Nana Patekar cannot escape from the raging storm. He was accused of sexual misbehaviour to Tanushree Dutta, a pioneer of #MeToo movement in India. This accusation forced him to step down from the movie. There is an unverified news that the film crew will reshoot parts of the movie with a new actor. According to Mohan, the cost might increase 10% equal to 2-2.5 crores if the shooting extends for 10 more days. Mohan, however, doesn’t think it can save the situation.

Amod Mehra, a trade analyst, believes that a delay or prolongation can happen to every film, for example, an accident of an actor and problem on the sets. All of these unexpected risks can lead to a cost increase. It’s unpredictable too.

Another expert Sanjay Mehta supposes that it is too early to be sure of anything at the moment. Nevertheless, trade experts all agree that no film will be boycotted by audiences.