Interview: I have been molested many times in Delhi Metro – Zoya Hussain

The boys followed her home at night

Zoya, who shifted from Delhi to Mumbai, considers Mumbai to be a much safer city than Delhi. She says, 'I have been molested many times in Delhi. My college was in Dhaula Kuan. I have been molested, ganged up and many other things have happened to me. In Delhi, if you step out of the house in the evening, then a fear and anxiety always surrounds you. I have been molested many times in the Delhi Metro as well. All this is a common thing there. In Mumbai, if someone molests you, people stand up with you. But this does not happen in Delhi. If someone is teasing you or is very close to you, then no one says anything. I live in Gurgaon. There is a mall near my house, the distance of which can be covered in 20 minutes. One day I went to watch a movie in the mall. Some boys were also there. After the movie was over, when I started returning home, two-three boys started following me. At first I was walking slowly, but when I saw that those people were following me, I started running out of fear. By the time I ran home, I was out of breath. In Delhi, we were not allowed to go out of the house after evening. If I talk about Mumbai, this city is the safest city not only in comparison to Delhi but in the entire country. Here girls live in flats. They return from work late at night. I have never had any bad experience in terms of security in Mumbai. In Mumbai, my sister and I live alone, so my parents are also at peace that we are in a safe city.

I feel bad when the movie doesn't work

Zoya, who has worked with Vineet Kumar in Mukkabaaz, recently appeared with Manoj Bajpayee in Bhaiyaji. She says, 'I learned a lot from Vineet, as far as Bhaiyaji and Manoj Bajpayee are concerned, both have the same passion for their work. Working with Manoj ji was amazing. Bhaiyaji is his 100th film. I was very nervous in the beginning, but Manoj ji and his wife Shabana ji took great care of me. I agree that this film did not do well at the box office. Now every department gives its best while making a film, but I cannot analyze why the film did not get the same response, but yes, it feels bad when the film does not do well.'

Outsiders face more rejection

Talking about the rejection process, she says, “I have faced a lot of rejection. It happens a lot to outsiders like us. Sometimes you give three-four months for a role, but you are not told whether you have been selected or not. It hurts a lot to be stuck in that loop. Then you read somewhere that the role you were working so hard for has been taken by someone else. Initially when this used to happen to me, I used to get very sad. You also start thinking why did this not work out? Why were you rejected? After that it becomes very routine. You have to face so much rejection that you have to accept it. Otherwise you cannot live.”

We friends together created Magh: The Winter Within

About her upcoming projects, she says, 'I am waiting for two-three good projects. I am doing a film with Dibakar Banerjee. There is also an OTT movie. I have also done a good film with Aamir Bashir, which is based on Kashmir. The name of the film is Magh: The Winter Within. My role is very emotional and powerful. It also premiered at the Busan Film Festival last year and it also won the Best Film Award there. We friends have made this film together.'