Former child artiste Ravi Valecha recalls facing abuse in film industry at 8: 'There was nobody I could talk to'
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
Star Ravi Valecha, who became a known face on the big screen as a child artist in the 1970s and 1980s, has opened up about a deeply troubling chapter of his life. Despite achieving a remarkable feat of working in around 300 films across multiple languages, Valecha has opened up that his journey in the movie industry was also marked by incidents of sexual exploitation.
Adding to this, Ravi Valecha starred in 300 films. Former child artiste recalls facing abuse Valecha often played younger versions of Amitabh Bachchan's characters in many films and featured in several popular films, including Coolie , Amar Akbar Anthony , Mr Natwarlal, Fakira, Tumhare Bina, Khuddar, Nastik, Parichay, Yaadon Ki Baarat, Karz, Seeta Aur Geeta and Desh Premee, among others. While in conversation with The Indian Express, Ravi opened up that he was around eight years old when the abuse began and that he faced such incidents three times.
Meanwhile, The first incident took place at a dubbing studio, where an older man from the industry asked him to sit on his lap. Ravi also recalled that the most disturbing instance involved a young secretary who was hired to accompany him to shoots every day. He shared that secretary would inappropriately touch him in taxis and cars routinely.
Notably, The star also shared that he couldn't share the same with anyone out of fear. “You can’t tell anybody… but you have to go with that person day in and day out,” he shared. He recalled that the young secretary later abused him in a hotel room when his parents were not present. Ravi was around 11 or 12 years old at the time, and the secretary shared the room with him. Recalling the situation, he shared, “What do I do?”
As per the latest buzz, Valecha admitted that he did not tell anyone about what had happened because he felt, “There was nobody I could talk to,” and feared that his parents would not believe him. The star shared he carried the pain with him for years and that the experience eventually manifested as anger that spilled into his personal life. Valecha later moved away from acting and went on to build a successful hospitality business.
In further updates, Valecha eventually sought therapy, which helped him confront the trauma he had buried for years. Recalling the impact of the process, he shared, “I did not know how deeply embedded that was in my mind, which came out in the therapy. I myself had buried everything. Six months of therapy changed everything. Today I’m very light. I don’t mind in conversation with anybody about it."
On top of that, Vibha Maru is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Entertainment, based in Delhi. With a decade of experience across digital and print media, she covers Bollywood, Hollywood and web shows. A self-confessed cinephile who breathes Hindi cinema, Vibha can often be found sacrificing sleep after binge-watching films and web series. Though she holds a Commerce degree, she discovered her true calling in journalism after enrolling at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). She began her career covering Delhi's cultural scene, food, nightlife, concerts, and city life at The Times of India, before moving into full-time entertainment journalism with India Today. At India Today, Vibha interviewed some of the biggest names in Bollywood and television while carving a niche for herself through movie reviews, opinion pieces, nostalgic features, star interviews, and trend-driven stories. She later brought her storytelling and editorial expertise to The Indian Express, where she continued to deepen her understanding of cinema through long-form entertainment explainers, retrospectives and feature writing. Now, as Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times Entertainment, Vibha continues to chronicle the world of movies and pop culture. Her work spans breaking entertainment news, exclusive interviews, star features, and stories that capture the conversations shaping Indian cinema. Read More
Source: Hindustan Times