“Why should I not stand by Nawaz… just because he is a man?” - Kubbra Sait defends Nawazuddin Siddiqui

The feisty talented Kubbra Sait, who made a big impact with her role as the doomed transgender Kukoo in the Netflix series "Sacred Games", has come out in open support of Nawazuddin Siddiqui after actress Niharika Singh accused him of sexually inappropriate behaviour.

Kubbra says she is being hounded and trolled for  her stance. “But I don’t care about those who want me to say what they want to hear. Why should I not stand by Nawaz... just because he is a man? Do men always have to be in the wrong? It may be the  politically correct thing to demolish the reputation of a man accused by a woman. But where is the proof? You can’t rant against someone and be taken seriously. If she (Niharika Singh) said Nawaz was  a bad actor, there would be his body of work to disprove her. But how does one prove a man’s guilt or non-guilt when a woman accuses him of sexual misconduct?”

Kubbra sees Niharika Singh’s outburst as a personal relationship gone wrong. “You can’t pull a relationship out of its personal space for your own purpose. There is a man’s reputation involved. I read her comments 7-8 times. But they sound like she is venting her own frustrations and rage against someone who has overcome his own struggles to become successful. It’s being said that the #MeToo movement can succeed if some important influential  names are called out. We can’t just pull up anyone’s name and  fling  it in the mud. Comments such as hers are derailing the MeToo movement.”

Kubbra says she stands by Nawaz. “I don’t know him personally beyond the work we did together in Sacred Games. He is not  a friend. I don’t know him socially at all. But, I’ve seen how courteous and  softspoken he is with his co-stars. He has worked hard to get where he is. Please do not use a successful man’s reputation to vent your frustrations.”

For those cynics who are saying Kubbra is safeguarding her own interests by defending  Nawaz, here is a slap. “I am not in the second season of Sacred Games. For those who think I am defending him to save Sacred Games and my own role in  it, I’ve news. The second season has started shooting. And I am not in it. My role is over. This is  not about selfinterest. It is to safeguard the MeToo movement from being derailed.”

Kubbra says every individual needs to stand by his or her decisions. “I’ve made many mistakes in my life and career. I’ve been in relationships that I’ve regretted. And I’ve done a webseries in the past which makes me cringe. But at that point of time, I needed any work that came my way. If you make wrong decisions in life, it isn’t right to blame them on  others specially if they are far more successful than you. Such accusations and allegations look like vendetta.”