Yes, rape is our topic again! When it comes to this ‘man-made’ epidemic, let’s understand it’s never too much to talk about it. The dialogue has started but it happens in our society everyday. According to the National Crime Reports Bureau, more than 24,500* rape cases were reported across the country in 2016*.
No, we aren’t saying movies are the reason for the increasing number of rape cases in India. However, is there a need to pamper stalking, molesting and rape on the big screen? Scriptwriters may argue that they are showcasing what’s happening in the society. But showing a popular actor stalking and abusing the leading lady only makes it look a lot normal to some pervert and sick minds. Why not avoid it completely?
There was a trend during the 80s and 90s not only in South cinema, but also in Bollywood, where the villain rapes the protagonist’s sister in a bid to take revenge. Really? How does that make you look as a filmmaker? Every word or dialogue written comes from one’s imagination. How well are our thoughts when our writing involves a revenge rape?
There are stories which have been super successful at the box office and did not involve rape, molestation or stalking. The typical Ranjeet, Mohan Babu or Shakti Kapoor characters have for too long pampered this ridiculous trend.
“If she says no, she means yes” kind of a trend on the silver screen only makes this totally acceptable for the ‘fans’ and blind followers of these popular stars. We don’t generalize that all the members of the audiences in the 80s and 90s were in love with this trend, but if it was a part of almost every other blockbuster, then that says a lot about what was acceptable during the time.
Some ‘brilliant’ minds also wrote about how a rape victim is banished from the society unless she marries her rapist. Or, how she should no longer live and jump of a high-rise building for bringing dishonor to her family. We can do better than that, can’t we?
Though there are many examples, these seven movies are picked by us in random and guess what, each one of it could have been better without the so-called rape culture-pampering.
Bommarillu (1978)
This movie was a huge blockbuster and established Murali Mohan and Mohan Babu as two of the most bankable stars in Tollywood. However, the filmmaker Rajachandra thought it would be really funny to bring in a macho villain Mohan Babu to rape Rama Prabha when her husband Raj Babu was fast asleep. The sequence is pathetic yet, many people laughed out at the sleep talking Raj Babu when Mr. Macho was molesting the popular actress. So it all started way early and to think of it now, was that comic scene glorifying rape really necessary?
Moogavani Paga (1983)
The otherwise villainous Mohan Babu turned the acting clock and portrayed the good Samaritan’s role in B.A Subba Rao’s 1983 blockbuster ‘Moogavani Paga’. Way back in 1958, Kishore Kumar’s ‘Chalti Ka Naam Gadi’ popularized the trend of romance in the rain. ‘Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi si’ topped the charts, hence, paving way for many other romantic songs shot in the rain. May be, just may be Subba Rao wanted to take a leaf out of this trend when he brought in and replaced romance in the rain to rape in the rain. The antogonist Giri Babu is drunk, rich brat who wants a ‘girl’ for the night! He lures over a ‘deaf and dumb’ victim who’s shown getting wet in the rain. Soon his inner so-called animal awakens and there he goes and starts molesting her. To show Mohan Babu as the good Samaritan, he quickly comes into the scene and saves the victim. How tight is our imagination when he needs to introduce a good Samaritan by using the rape factor?
Nimajjanam (1980)
This was a brilliant story, until it decided to make it all about how a rape victim must have sinned and should commit suicide! The movie won the National award for the Best Feature Film in Telugu and Sharada won it for Best Actress. Filmmaker B.S Narayana could not think of a better climax than to immerse the sinned rape victim in the holy Ganga to wash off her sins of being raped? Even writing about it makes us cringe. Why should a rape victim feel she’s the one who’s wrong and needs to be punished. We believe an important film as this one should have been written more responsibly.
Rikshavodu (1995)
No doubt this movie was one of the biggest hits of Megastar Chiranjeevi’s career. He had a dual role and gave a brilliant performance. However, to establish the rowdiness of the antagonists and to build up a future revenge story, director Kodi Ramakrishna decided to make a brutal rape scene the main twist of the story. Chiranjeevi’s sister is raped by the goons and hence there comes his future son (also Chiranjeevi) who takes a solid revenge. The rape victim is thrown out of the building and then burnt! We can’t write beyond this. How can you even write something this evil especially around a crime which has been India’s biggest problem for decades? It must have been quite obvious that in reality it’s a lot brutal and emotionally distressing. Why show it on the silver screen, only to push the drama further?
Sakalakala Vallavan (1982)
Kamal Haasan and Ambika’s 1982 blockbuster Sakalakala Vallavan had all the points to make it a box office hit. A dramatic script, popular star cast and let’s not forget a ‘much-needed’ rape seen (read sarcasm)! NOT! To bring out the protectiveness and the family savior character of the protagonist, the filmmaker brought in a rape seen where Kamal Haasan’s onscreen sister is raped by their landlord’s spoilt son. This leads to the main man making a plan to avenge the crime committed against his beloved sister. And what does he do? He gets his sister married to the rapist and he marries the rapist’s arrogant sister! Phew! You’ll be surprised how confusing this plot is. However, it made it to the ‘hit list’ and established Kamal Haasan as the commercially bankable star of Kollywood. Could the glorification of rape be avoided in this one?
Nattamai (1994)
Taking the favourite sequence of most of the filmmakers forward to the 90s, director K.S Ravikumar made sure the victim married the rapist. The movie starring Sarathkumar, Khushboo and Meena, was a huge blockbuster. However, everyone clapped their hand at the brilliant justice of the Panchayat head who decides to get the victim married to her rapist. She’s obviously grateful to him for saving her “honour” and for the rest of her life, she’s physically abused by her rapist husband. Talk about making the cut!
Naan Sigappu Manithan (1985)
A huge clap for the arrival of ‘Robinhood’ Rajinikanth on the silver screen. The blockbuster Naan Sigappu Manithan was all that the audiences needed for an entertaining film. However, Director S.A Chandrasekhar thought why not give the villain a chance to rape, go scoot free and then rape again, so the victim commits suicide. Then arrives the good old Robinhood brother who takes a revenge and teaches the villain a lesson. There couldn’t be another verdict given to the rape victim’s character in the film but suicide! Unhealthy and a dangerous trend!
There used to be multiple films made during the 80s and 90s back then – we are seeing a gradual change but we require much more. We need to see a woman defending herself when men attack her sexually, we need to see women take these upwards to the Court and succeed – we need more such inspiring stories for women in real life to stay confident and motivated.
Women need to stand up for others and for themselves for their powerful voice is stronger than the low-life society and the mindsets of the people within. If a woman targets something, there is no stopping her. SO, to all those women fighting any injustice in your lives, stay strong and keep your head held high – do not let anyone tell you otherwise.