After giving a remarkable performance in Ek Hazaaron Main Meri Behna Hai as Viren and in Rang Badalti Odhani as Shantanu, Karan Tacker is bagging accolades for hosting Halla Bol in Bindass and his association with B for Change campaign. He chats with SANGEETA YADAV about the show and his struggling days
Your new show Halla Bol on Bindass has got a good response...
There are many shows which talk about crime against women but not many people can relate to them because they don’t tell them how to fight back and what options they have. If they get out of the situation like eve-teasing, harassment, sexual abuse or rape, how can they get justice. We treat these issues very sensitively. These issues have been there for a very long time but people are now coming out and talking about them, shedding social taboos and prejudices. When a woman fights back somewhere or the other she becomes an inspiration for rest of the people.
What challenges did you face for the showIJ
Shooting for a show like Halla Bol was very challenging because the kind of cases we got to showcase, left a bad taste in my mouth. I feel disgusted that in a country like ours, all this happens to women. The compassion and respect for women and the problems they face have increased. Everyday we get to read cases of crime against women and how hard it is for them to go to the police and file an FIR or approach the courts for help. The way a rape survivor is treated is shameful.
Given an option, what changes would you like to bringIJ
I would like to do something around the judiciary and the medical system of this country. Court cases are so slow that if somebody files one, he/she has to wait for years to get justice. When people say that they will approach the court for redress, people laugh at them and this is absurd. If a case is presented in court, it should get settled in a few hearings.
If the law is weak, one will never feel safe. I, too, will think twice before going to court for help. I know they will be of no help to me. Instead I’ll be stuck for years. Healthcare is poor. A middle class or poor person can’t afford a private hospital because the treatment is expensive. Going to a Government hospital is out of the question because there are no facilities in most. My father used to tell me that people coming from the lower strata of the society, work through their illness and the only time they go to hospital is when they die. We really need to look into this issue and do something about it.
What was the turning point of your lifeIJ
In the beginning of my career, I got rejected for a lot of projects. I was lazy and confused. My father ran a garment business. Then recession hit us. If this was not enough, the Mumbai attacks happened.
We had to shut shop. We had no money and had to sell our house, jewellery and other items. That’s what changed everything in my life. I struggled a lot and I found passion in acting.
I believe that everything takes its time to happen. If acting had not happened to me, I would not have done something else in life without ever realising my potential in histrionics.