Singer cum TV/film actor, Tia Bajpai, has added one more feather to her cap. She is playing the lead in Vikram Bhatt’s new web series, Zakhmi, which goes live tonight.

“I am playing a gang-rape survivor, who, rather than crying about her ordeal, takes revenge from the bad guys, who also bumps off her husband.”

Talking about the horror of ongoing sexual attacks in India, Tia says, “Rapists, belonging to whichever social strata, are mentally sick people. No sane person can do what these people end up doing. How can you rape an 8-year-old? The best way to nip such crime in the bud would be to identify potential wrongdoers by keeping a tab on who posts and likes videos which promote violence towards animals. This tendency only shows their depravity. It is only a matter of time before they start violating the dignity of fellow humans as well.”

Well said,

She continues: “Also, I question those who try to attribute blame to a woman’s dressing or lifestyle. No one has the right to touch any woman inappropriately even if she is dressed skimpily, which is her right. If she says yes, then it is a different ball game altogether.”

Do you think online videos which are full of s*x and make women look like sexual objects, are making matters worse? “I don’t think the mobile internet revolution has still reached the small towns, where most such depravities happen. Also, we need to address the root cause i.e. our orthodox approach which drives s*x beyond the curtain. Let’s face it, this is a natural instinct which needs to be fulfilled in the correct way. I have visited sexual tourist places like Amsterdam and Bangkok, where s*x is no longer a big deal since everything is so out in the open.”

Here, unlike others, Tia is not too taken aback by the level of abuse and s*x on desi web.“Luckily, although there is no web censorship in India, most makers like mine prefer to exercise self-censorship, not wanting to hurt desi sensibilities. Our audiences will also not accept stuff as seen in, say, a Game of Thrones. As for abuse, a lot also depends on the backdrop. If we are basing our story in a slum, you can’t expect classy English. Also, the audiences understand why the character is using certain objectionable words.”

We wish her great luck with Zakhmi.