I used to like this actor in the Tamil film industry, the so called Kollywood. Actor Vijay is known as the ‘illayathalapathi (young commander or leader)’. He looks like the typical Tamil boy next door and one thing about him that stands out is that from the start of his film career, he has neither gained weight nor lost any. Most of his films are crap. I guess I could say I just like couple of his movies yet I liked the actor. His movies are like any typical Tamil movie. The movies where the hero and heroine start with ‘modhal (fight or arguments)’ and ends with ‘kadhal (love)’ with the heroine insulted beyond reparation and yet falls hopelessly and utterly in love with the hero because he insulted her and of course the ultimate villain whom he overpowers single handedly and the usual family drama with some songs. These movies are called ‘masala movies’ in Tamil. Like I said, although his movies are tedious, I liked the actor solely because of his looks because I think the guy lacks talent in every other way as an actor.
I was watching a programme on TV where they show some of the scenes from latest movies like a teaser you know. The scene was from a movie ‘Sivakasi’, Vijay’s movie. At the time, the movie was released, the scene was being played a lot. In the scene, the heroine is dressed in revealing clothes when compared to the Indian standard of what is considered descent clothes. She is wearing jeans shorts, a camisole kinda blouse with a jacket which was transparent. She is with her father in the streets and one of the guys in the street misbehaves with her and she makes a scene. Our great hero now makes his entry. He finds the guy and rubs the guy’s hand with our heroines hand and says, “Now that you have touched her, are you satisfied?” and sends the guy away. And then the hero turns to the heroine and starts criticizing her way of dressing. He uses rather crude words to describe her clothes. And then he goes on to say that if she dresses that way, then she is bound to be harassed. All this happens in the middle of the road of course, and there are like fifty people watching. The heroine’s father is quite and she is visibly angered. The scene usually ends at this point in the show. I haven’t watched the movie and neither am I planning to watch it. But I later found out that after the incident, the heroine starts dressing conservatively and the usual hero heroine stupid love starts.
A hero I liked made me despise him after I watched this scene. There are three things about the scene that make my blood boil. First, the guy who caused the whole scenario is left to go without being properly reprimanded and what’s more his actions are actually defended (him being hero and all should see justice is served properly). Second, the girl is who is the victim here is actually being insulted in a vulgar language that makes you cringe. Third, men who do engage in such activities claim they are right and use movies like this to justify their behaviour. These kinds of scenes are just a drop in an ocean. If he is really a hero or is really an ‘illayathalapathi’ should he be ready to do such roles? What’s even more saddening is the actress’ willingness to act in such a degrading scene. Their justification being, “somebody else will take up the role if I refuse to do it. So what’s the point in me letting go of a job?”
A lot of girls and young women everyday face this kind of situation in real life where guys grope in public, crowded places like the bus, bus stops, railway stations and even crowded temples!! When I go to a temple that is quite crowded, I actually pray that I don’t get groped. I make sure somebody from my family is in front of me and behind me while we wait in the crowd for darshan. That’s how paranoid girls are because of this. India got its freedom sixty three years ago and yet girls don’t have the freedom to even dress the way they want. A few years ago, there was this incident where a dress code was imposed on women. This dress code was for all the girls in not only work place or school or college but in the entire city. My memory on the entire issue is hazy so I don’t know exactly what caused it and what happened later on. Should women who are the prey really be held responsible for such behaviour? Do the men who actually perpetrate such things not responsible?
India is considered the home of Hinduism. The only religion which has both male and female god and who are both equally revered and considered powerful. With such a history should the women victim be subjected to such prejudice? Girls face the fear of being a target in every aspect of their life. The most astonishing part of it is that not even a middle aged woman is safe from this! Girls are ashamed of it and find it difficult to fight it. Very few can actually stand up for themselves. One of the reasons is the whole thing happens so quickly that the victim can’t even identify the person! One of the ways to maybe make the men who indulge in such lewd activities is to make them taste their own medicine! Maybe then they could realize how disgusting the whole thing. But doing such things will be even more disgusting for women I am sure. But I guess more than the whole eve teasing situation, what irritates me is their reasons for their doing. But I guess no amount of law can stop this until victims themselves take things in their own hands and kick some asses like in the movies. Of course this wouldn’t be a one man show like the movies. :)
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