I live in surreal, dystopian present: Manjula Padmanabhan

Filmmaker Woody Allen says he has accepted one reality of his life that he will always remain a “predator” in the eyes of a “large number of people” owing to his step-daughter Dylan Farrow”s sexual abuse allegation against him.

In an interview with The Guardian, the 84-year-old veteran director once again addressed the allegation which was made in 1992 but has caught steam in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

“I assume that for the rest of my life a large number of people will think I was a predator. Anything I say sounds self-serving and defensive, so it’s best if I just go my way and work,” Allen said.

He also talked about actors, including Timothee Chalamet and Rebecca Hall, who distanced themselves from the director in the wake of the global campaign against workplace sexual harassment.

“The actors have no idea of the facts and they latch on to some self-serving, public, safe position.

“Who in the world is not against child molestation? That’s how actors and actresses are, and (denouncing me) became the fashionable thing to do, like everybody suddenly eating kale,” Allen added.

The filmmaker recently came out with his memoir, “Apropos of Nothing” that also got embroiled in a controversy.

Hachette Group had decided to publish the book but then dropped it following an uproar from its staff as well as Allen”s stepson Ronan Farrow, whose book “Catch and Kill” was also published by the company.

Ronan has been a staunch supporter of Dylan and has stood by her side for years.

Allen said the only reason he feels anger over the situation is because he”s been “deprived of seeing my children grow up.”

“I haven’t spoken a word to the children in over 25 years and they’ve been raised to think the worst of me. So sure, I was angry about that. But, professionally, I haven’t suffered at all…

“That’s the way it is and all I can do is keep my nose to the grindstone and hope that people will come to their senses at some point. But if not, not. There are many injustices in the world far worse than this. So you live with it,” the filmmaker added.