On the occasion of International Women’s Day when the world celebrates achievements of women all around the globe, in India one should take this day to truly appreciate the female gender by looking at the reality of our society. Three films were released back to back in the span of last one month to display the reality of what women go through on a regular basis in this society.
Thappad, a movie by Anubhav Sinha, Devi, a short film written and directed by Priyanka Banerjee and Guilty, a Netflix movie by Ruchi Narain have attempted to display things that otherwise go unnoticed by us in our everyday lives.
In thappad we are introduced to Amrita who is a housewife and has possibly given her entire life to the well being of her husband and mother. Yet her efforts are taken for granted. She is slapped by her husband during a party in a room filled with people and there is no attempt to apologize. That slap, only one slap acts as a reminder to Amrita that she is a human being first and then someone’s wife. She demands for self respect and fights against all odds and gets a divorce. On a daily basis housewives go through humiliation and they do not get any credit for what they do. It is ingrained in our minds to take the housewife for granted and it is ingrained in every housewives mind to accept whatever comes her way without raising questions. This is the reality of women that this film touches upon.
In the 13 minute short film Devi we see nine women who live under the same roof who differ from each other in many ways, yet ate connected by one thing; they’re all victims of sexual assault. Devi shows us that age and societal positions do not matter. From a little girl to an old woman, everyone has been inflicted with sexual violence. That is the sad reality of our society that we can see through this short film.
Lastly, Guilty touches upon the #metoo movement. More than a year after the movement all the accused men have gotten back to their work. Noone remembers what they have done. But the woman is remembered. Just because a woman carries herself in a certain way, if she’s bold, it is assumed that she will be ready to be with any man that comes her way. When she does not, she’s blamed. Victim shaming and assuring that a woman does not speak up because “men will be men” is what the film shows.
Despite having several conversations around women empowerment, many a times people still do not know how to respect women. On this women’s day, one can only promise one thing to every woman in their life. That is to appreciate the little things she does and not belittle her. Respect what a woman does for you despite having gone through so much this is society that does not allow her to speak up. That would be a true celebration of women’s day. The kind of films coming out prior to women’s day shows us that progress is possible, it might not take place instantly but it is possible.
Niharika Dowerah 