Skip to main content

Saturday Night

 It was Saturday night, and we had settled ourselves comfortably in and around the couch to watch the Malayalam movie Super Sharanya on Zee5. (sidenote: I had watched it in the theater already, and normally I don’t invest time to watch something a second time. However, this was a movie that I had enjoyed thoroughly and was an ideal watch with family.)


As the movie progressed, we could see various characters trying in their own (some endearing, some questionable) ways to win the heart of the protagonist, Sharanya. This includes the lecturer Arun and the self proclaimed hero Ajith Menon, who tries to force his decision on her with scant regard for her opinion or consent.


Now, those who have watched the movie would know that the character of Ajith Menon is a caricature of the much celebrated and glorified psychopath Arjun Reddy (or Kabir Singh or either of the Varmas). The makers have hit the bull’s eye in drawing out the problems of such a character, who is an embodiment of toxic masculinity.


As one of those scenes panned out, my seven year old nephew (sidenote 2: the kid, though born to Malayali parents, has spent the major parts of his life so far outside the state, and naturally his grasp on the language is rather limited.) looked at us and asked why that man was troubling the girl, when she was so clearly uncomfortable around him!


That simple question that came to his mind while watching a movie in a not so familiar language was the highlight of the evening as far as I am concerned. The seven year old kid gets consent. If a seven year old kid gets it, it most certainly is not rocket science. 


It is unfortunate that a large section of our society still doesn’t get consent, or that Sandeep Reddy Vanga and Vijay Deverakonda (sidenote 3: I had no big hopes from someone who says stuff like dictatorship is better than democracy) and Shahid Kapoor still think it’s okay to glamorize a toxic character.


However, there is hope, as we discovered on Saturday night. And as long as there is hope, we can afford to sit back and catch an occasional break.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book Review : Scion Of Ikshvaku

Author : Amish Tripathi Genre : Mythological Fantasy Published On : 22 June 2015 Watch trailer on Youtube Buy Online! As the makers put it, this first installment of the Ram Chandra series is the most awaited literary blockbuster of the year. The frenzied wait had its effect on me, as I had pre-ordered a copy, days before its release. Obviously, the most weighted factor which prompted me into this craze was The Shiva Trilogy, the previous work of the boring banker turned happy author. Shiva Trilogy achieved its cult status for two major reasons: a) the plot being discussed offered a welcome change from the modern day love stories that had mushroomed up in the post Chetan era. b) The author had meticulously researched through Vedas and other ancient texts, and had reconstructed the very image of Shiva, into a very capable man rather than a miracle performing God. To quote the First City, Amish had succeeded on reintroducing Hindu mythology to the youth of t...
4 comments
Read more

The Plan

The son went and sat near his father. “It’s been a while, dad. How are things going?” “It really has been a while, hasn’t it? I stopped following time since God knows when.” “That’s quite unbecoming of you, dad. For what I know, you were someone who used to measure time and plan accordingly. Shall I say shrewd?” “I prefer meticulous. And yes, I used to measure time – every ounce of it. Each of my actions were prudently strategic. I wanted the best for myself and my folks.” “Are you telling me even I were a result of your deliberate planning? Interesting.” “You? Of course. Especially you. There was a time when my whole life was centered on you. I have had immense plans for you, even before you were born. Do you think you just happened to be born in the month of May?” “I am quite familiar with the nine months’ infancy phase, dad. I believe that though I came out only in May, I began to exist sometime in August, perhaps.” “That’s a way to look at it, righ...
2 comments
Read more

Chennai Tidbits

‘2/14, Salvation Army Guest House, Doveton St, Chennai’  this address followed by a ten digit phone number was all that I had of Mr. Nageshwar Rao, who was to become my roommate in my new 'home' that Chennai was. Vipin Das is my name, an employee of All India Radio, and I had been transferred from New Delhi to Chennai only a few days ago. So there I was, just outside the Chennai Central, drained and haggard after the grueling train journey that gifted me two sleepless nights. I approached an auto-rickshaw with baggage in my hands, and showed him the address I had. He asked me to get in, and I was traveling through the South Indian metro, a first time in my life. It was only six in the morning, and the city was just waking up. Some young professionals, probably long distance commuters, security guards, newspaper boys on cycle, trucks and light traffic were all I could see on road. I took out that card and dialed Mr. Rao. No response. Maybe he was still sleeping. After all, it...
2 comments
Read more