Filmmaker Karan Johar has called out the mindset of people who question the legitimacy of accounts of sexual abuse survivors by saying they don’t have enough proof.

One of the many ways the survivors of sexual harassment are shamed, after they come out with their stories, is by being questioned for proof of the abuse that they have faced.

During a session on masculinity at We The Women conclave evening, Johar criticised this mentality and said when a woman shares her story with the world, she must be believed.

“When I read so many of those narratives and stories, they broke my heart. It made me realise we cannot be complicit to this and you have to wake up, smell the coffee and be active about it. Every woman, who has a voice, has to be respected, applauded for coming out, and it is essential to believe every given voice. You cannot say there’s no proof. That is a lame, masculine thing to say. When a woman comes out, she expresses her heart out, she is right and you should believe her,” said the director.