Tu khud ki khoj mein nikal
Tu kisliy hatash hai
Tu chal, Tere Wajood ki
Samay ko bhi talash hai..Samay ko bhi talash hai
Wonder if it were these strong words in Mr.Bachchan’s voice or the amazing emotional delivery by the actors, I left the theatre feeling the warm waters of my eyes dropping down my cheeks. I felt angry, disturbed and too numb to even speak for the next fifteen minutes.
Ritesh Shah and Aniruddha Roy Chowdhary’s PINK spoke the heart of every woman. The “Women Safety Manual” approach to the movie touches the strong subject of women (in)security we face every day.
The movie is a clear reflection of the current stature, a woman of this country holds and how the world around her remains unchanged while she alone is responsible for everything that goes wrong with her. From the moment things take a bad shape, the first way out for the three “victims” was to apologize for being the “weaker sex”.
When that faded, the whole charade of hide and seek, lies and deceit and power play of the sexes takes shape. The Delhi-Haryana Police responsibility divide is relatable as no one wants to deal with situations first hand. This is real and we have all fallen prey to the game. Crime is therefore defined by the side of the border you, unfortunately, decided to be on.
Constantly living in fear and running back home before the creepy man next door kills you with his eyes, women are expected to never leave the house in the night or be “friendly” with strangers because if anything bad follows, it must be your own doing. The Independent 70-year-old country has not freed its people of the preconceived notions about the liberal woman.
Piyush Mishra’s first attack on the North Eastern woman is pretty evident through his obnoxious questions and comments. If you are from the North East you really are doomed. The unacceptance is beaming in his eyes while he bombards every woman in court. The typecasting of the liberal woman as a “prostitute” by men of this society is appropriately delivered. The message that if a girl refuses to bend your way, she is a slut.
The outside observer who plays an important part in getting the women justice has brilliantly been portrayed by Mr Amitabh Bachchan (and who else could have done justice to the role). But in reality, there will be outsiders and observers but hardly anyone will come to your rescue and never, will they accidentally turn out to be a top-notch, a retired-slightly depressed lawyer.
Lucky for them he witnessed the car abduction of Tapsee Pannu and calls the inspector. What I still do not understand is why no one mentioned this incident in court. Why would they let go of such an extreme display of control and crime committed by the other fighting party? Why did the girls not speak of it ever? I am still trying to figure out.
The conclusion of whether exchanging sex for money is a bigger crime than being taken against one’s will is mind-boggling and leaves the audience in a fit of rage. The question of consent vs. power is brilliantly displayed by this movie.
PINK is obviously not the first Bollywood movie to handle the sensitive subject but definitely a pioneer in terms of success and reception. Maybe it was the timing or maybe the deprivation of real issues in cinema, the movie is a raging success. After the late night show, I still felt lost as my mother always tells me “Don’t drive alone at night, you’re a girl.”
So was the important message consent or your dooming gender?
We are still told repeatedly that even if something was to go wrong, you (the girl) will be at a greater loss. “Ladkon ka Kuch Nahi bigadta”. PAR KYUN NAHI?
Even in this age, after a girl goes through being victimized and publicly shamed and discussed, the Brock Turners of the world have nothing to lose except maybe six months of their lives. And what are six months if not another victim? What I really wanted to see was punishment followed by justice because that would be more satisfying.
Nevertheless, the movie is a hit. If you’re still waiting, please go and watch it.
Poetry & Beyond 