If filmmakers feared his snipping scissors a few months ago, now it’s the turn of possible sexual predators to mind their manners - Pahlaj Nihalani is on a new mission.

As a direct impact of the Harvey Weinstein case which is rocking Hollywood, Nihalani now states that there are such offenders in Bollywood, too, and that it is time they were named, shamed, and brought to book!

In an interview, Nihalani points out that he is not referring to actresses who willingly do what they do to gain a foothold in the industry. His concern is the rookie actors and actresses who are forced to “offer sexual favours in exchange for job opportunities”.

He goes on to add that there exists a list of sexual offenders in the Hindi film industry, who misuse their positions. Agreeing with Priyanka Chopra, who said that people like Weinstein are present everywhere including Bollywood, Nihalani adds that these men continue to exploit hapless strugglers because they are not held liable for their dirty deeds. “This is the time to expose them!” he declares.

Although he himself is tempted to shout out the names of these sexual offenders, he avers that action can only be taken once the victims come forward. Shocked that actresses in Bollywood have not yet spoken up, he claims that they are in the process of getting together voices of the victims to speak up publicly.

Vidya Balan has also come out to express shock that Harvey Weinstein has been an abuser for so many years and no one spoke about it till the NY Times piece broke. She adds that the fact that even the most powerful female actors chose to keep silent on the matter for decades shows that even successful women don’t feel safe addressing sexual harassment.

Maintaining that she did not give anyone the space to intimidate her or be anything but respectful towards her, she admits that often girls compromise as their survival depends on it. If someone’s vibe made her uncomfortable, she walked away from the person and the work opportunity. “No one has ever crossed the line with me,” she says.

…And if Mr. Nihalani has his way, life might just get a tad easier for actresses in a sea of predatory sharks.