Mona Singh: Sexual assault is not exclusive to the film industry

Mona Singh had probably one of the most promising debuts with Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin in 2003 following it up with an interesting mix of projects in television movies and digital entertainment Her latest series Kafas might be the bravest and most challenging work in her twodecade career An adaptation of British miniseries Dark Money 2019 the SonyLIV offering revolves around a married couple who keep mum about their childrsquos sexual abuse case in exchange for money In conversation with midday Singh talks about child abuse the importance of sex education in schools and parentingEdited excerpts from the interviewKafas revolves around a child abuse case Have you personally known any casesI have heard of cases from my friends where a watchman from the school or the residential building has misbehaved Nowadays kids are aware of the good touch and bad touch because of the sex education imparted in school I remember I had gone to a friendrsquos house for Raksha Bandhan and her children didnrsquot hug me That is when I learnt that theyrsquove been taught in school not to hug strangers It is brilliant and makes you more aware of how to be around childrenWhat do you think would be the best way to tackle the issueParents should develop a friendship with their children so that they are not scared to tell their parents anything If you maintain a distance from your children that is wrong upbringing My sister is like a best friend to her daughter and son they tell her everythingYour character overlooks the case of child abuse for money Did you disagree with herOne cannot really say if my character was right or wrong So much of it was circumstantial Tough times call for tougher decisions My character and her husband Sharman Joshi couldnrsquot have fought against such an influential superstar in the industry They would have a lot of pressure on them There is also the fear of dragging their sonrsquos name through the mud Kafas sparks conversation around issues of mental health and sexual assault that have been deemed tabooDo you think in our judicial system it is difficult to get justice when there is little proof Like what happened during the MeToo movementThe only way is to be fearless speak up and stand up for what you feel is right Hats off to all the women who revealed their personal stories It is sad what women have to go through Sexual assault is not exclusive to the film industry it is rampant everywhereYou play a mother who takes hard decisions and is ridden with guilt How did you go about the roleThe best thing about OTT is that before you start shooting you get a bound script in hand You have countless rehearsals readings and workshops By the time you start shooting yoursquove got in the skin of your character We had lots of sessions with Sahil Sangha director He was sure that Seema her character wonrsquot be verbose she will be quiet and soaking it all in Every time you see her you will notice that she is going through an internal battle We had also made this corner in the room where the paint is peeling off the wall and Seema blankly stares at it every day There were so many layers to hermdashfrom fighting for what is right to understanding what she did was wrong and living vicariously through her son I have seen many mothers push their kids into BollywoodDid you ever feel the pressure to do something while growing upMy parents never forced anything on me I wanted to be an actor but my father was clear that I had to finish my graduation first I have seen so many mothers push their kids into acting Mikhail Gandhi child actor is a born actor He is so good with his studies and his parents are chilled He reminded me of my school days and how my parents were with me