“It doesn’t matter how I conduct myself; that does not allow anybody to harass me” – Mahira Khan

If there’s one superstar in Pakistan who knows how to make headlines with just one statement, it has to be Mahira Khan. While the actress has been continuously in the news for her statements regarding Bollywood and her upcoming film Verna, she has now spoken against the recent Hollywood sexual harassment cases.

Live on BBC World News to promote Verna, Mahira Khan spoke about sexual harassment and how she has managed to stay away from such dangers in the industry.

“It doesn’t matter how I conduct myself, what I wear, how I speak, where I sit or what I do, that does not allow anybody to harass me,” she said when asked how she has protected herself. “I am not going to say that I have some sort of a very good conduct or a certain conduct and that’s the reason why I didn’t get harassed. No, that would be the wrong answer.”

Mahira also felt that the usual targets for predators are those who are at an age where they’re more vulnerable.

“The thing is I believe that even in the case of what is happening in Hollywood right now – at least what I was reading about – I think those girls are much younger, they are more vulnerable. They are not in a position to maybe sometimes speak up or speak out,” the actress said.

The Verna actress in the end also talked about how she felt that she wasn’t ‘vulnerable’ when she came into the film industry.

“If you are asking me why it didn’t happen to me, I can say that I have been lucky with the people I have worked with and also I have worked with a very few people,” Mahira said. “I came at an age, I started acting after I became a mother, I wasn’t as vulnerable as maybe if I was a teenager. There are a lot of things that are a part of this. I do not think conduct is one of them,” she added.

Check out the video below:

"It doesn't matter how I conduct myself… that does not allow anybody to harass me." @TheMahiraKhan intelligently talks about harassment and misconduct with women whilst promoting #Verna on @BBCWorld. @OK_Pakistan @mangobaaz @dawn_images @etribune @MissMalini @pinkvilla pic.twitter.com/fQxsZHCANg

— Haroon Rashid (@iHaroonRashid) November 9, 2017