‘I was harassed 25 years ago, and I am still angry about it,’ reveals Saif Ali Khan

MUMBAI: Breaking gender-specific boundaries of the ongoing #MeToo campaign, Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan said he could understand the agony of victims who went through different harassments, saying ‘I am one of them’.

The actor said he faced harassment years ago, even though it was not sexual in nature. “I have also been harassed in my career, not sexually, but I have been harassed 25 years ago and I am still angry about it,” Saif told the Press Trust of India.

In 1991, Saif tied the knot with Amrita, 12 years his senior, after a whirlwind romance. They had two beautiful kids – Sara and Ibrahim. However, 13 years later, Saif and Amrita’s marriage came to a bitter end, and they got divorced in 2004.

“Most people don’t understand other people. It is very difficult to understand other people’s pain. I don’t want to talk about it because I am not important today. Even when I think about what happened with me I still get angry. Today, we have to look after women,” he added.

Saif said the offenders must be punished even if they are found guilty in an old case.

“People are offended and they want justice. What it is happening is good and it gives you a sense that something is happening.

“You are removing someone (from the job) and it is a big deal. You are removing a person, but everybody has worked on a project so you have to balance things. People who have sexually harassed and abused women should pay for it.” His co-stars from Humshakals – Bipasha Basu and Esha Gupta – recently opened up about director Sajid Khan’s “rude” behaviour towards women on the sets of the 2014 film.

While Bipasha said she was disturbed with Sajid’s attitude towards women, Esha revealed she got into a lot of arguments with him. Sajid is accused of sexual misconduct by three female actors and a journalist. He has since been replaced by Farhad Samji as the director of “Housefull 4”.

Recalling his experience during “Humshakals”, Saif said, “I don’t remember anything like this happening genuinely because if it would have happened I would not have been comfortable in that environment or allowed it to happen in front of me.” “I would hate an atmosphere where women are being looked down upon or mistreated in any way. I don’t think that’s how an atmosphere should be,” he added. Saif, 48, asserted he will not work with those who have been accused of sexual misconduct.

“We all need to have the same attitude. I don’t want to work with them. We have to understand that how these people are behaving, it is not ok, it is disgusting,” he asserted.