“He ran his finger on my back — from my neck down to my b*****ks and then quickly turned around.”: Girija Oak Recalls Disturbing Local Train Incident; Watch Interview
“He ran his finger on my back — from my neck down to my b*****ks and then quickly turned around.”: Girija Oak Recalls Disturbing Local Train Incident; Watch Interview
The actress opens up about a traumatic episode and how the strong women in her family shaped her courage.
Marathi actress Girija Oak, widely admired for her performances in Taare Zameen Par, Shor in the City and the recent blockbuster Jawan has gone viral once again. This time, it is her simplicity and effortless charm that has social media calling her the new “National Crush.” But in a recent conversation, she shifted focus to something far more serious: a disturbing incident from her local train commute.
Girija said such behaviour has unfortunately become common for women travelling in crowded public spaces. “In local trains, people touching you and walking away, or bumping into you on purpose, has sadly become very common. You always have to be alert,” she said.
She then recalled a specific episode that left her shaken. Girija was travelling when a boy approached her quietly from behind. “I don’t know where he came from because I didn’t sense anything. Maybe he approached from one side,” she said.
Describing the shock of that moment, she shared, “He ran his finger on my back — from my neck down to my buttocks and then quickly turned around.” By the time she even registered what had happened, the boy had disappeared into the crowd. She couldn’t identify him, nor did she have any way to take immediate action.
Girija also revisited a memory from her school days, when she slapped a boy who routinely bullied her. That incident, she said, taught her early lessons about not remaining silent when wronged.
She added that her courage comes from the powerful women in her family. “I’ve been fortunate, truly. My grandmother, my mother and all the women I grew up with, the ones who raised me — everyone has always stood up to bullying. And not in a silent, quiet way, but very openly and strongly. I’ve actually seen my mother get into physical fights in my childhood.”
Girija remembered how alert and fearless her mother always was in public spaces. “If someone pushed her deliberately or brushed past her inappropriately, she would immediately turn around, grab the person by the collar, and pin them down. She was never someone who would just walk away swinging her bag like nothing happened.”
Girija will next be seen in the web series Therapy Sherapy, co-starring Gulshan Devaiah.
