‘Rape portrayal on celluloid should be sensitive’
Such scenes should be symbolic. There should be zero obscenity and gruesomeness, with more focus on aftereffects and social aspects of the crime
LUCKNOW: Rapes have been the subject of creative art since early traces of recorded history. Folk tales, mythology, epics, literature and even paintings have rape as subject, says writer-actor Atul Tiwari.
“Unfortunately, this has been a tool of male power since evolution and it has been recorded in every creative form. Indian literature and folk tales have it, western painters used it as subject, Shakespeare has written a long poem on it and so it’s obvious that it will be shown in films as well,” says Tiwari.
Tiwari, who had written dialogues of the film ‘Woh Chokri’ that won three National Awards in different categories, says, “The young girl in the film (played by Pallavi Joshi) was subjected to sexual harassment and rape by actors Om Puri and Paresh Raval. I wrote the dialogues long back but it’s a very unpleasant experience to portray such heinous crimes.” .
Tiwari cites the example of Saadat Ali Manto’s short story ‘Khol Do’, depicting the trauma of a girl gang raped she multiple times.
“It’s a controversial story in which he wrote how people from all sides and religions raped the innocent girl. He has beautifully shown the ugly and gory side of it with zero obscenity. That is how it should be dealt with in visual mediums too,” he says.
KEEP IT SUGGESTIVE
‘Chameli’ filmmaker Sudhir Mishra says he prefers to keep rape scenes symbolic rather than show the gruesome act on screen. “In my film ‘Hazaaron Khwahishey Aisi’, the rape on Geeta (played by Chitrangada Singh) was suggestive and only its aftermath was shown. The act or rape is so ‘vibhatsa’ (gruesome) and horrible that I don’t find it prudent to show it on screen. What I showed was its after effect and horror,” says the director.
He says that sometimes it’s important to show rape but then it is up to the sensitivity of the director to shoot the horrifying act.
“It’s a fact that rape scenes for many men are titillating which may have side effects. I can’t showcase it in visual medium as for a good number of people it may be fun and some may derive pleasure out of it. Personally, I can’t allow such brutal act to pamper someone’s fancy,” he says.
Mishra gives example of Shekhar Kapur’s film ‘Bandit Queen’ that had multiple rape scenes. “The film had multiple rapes on the protagonist and they were shown in the film too. Shekhar filmed them brilliantly. His shots were suggestive yet conveyed how gory and horrifying such acts could be. Such an issue needs sensitive directors .”
Atul Tiwari quotes films like Raj Kumar Santoshi’s ‘Damini’, Prakash Jha’s ‘Mrityudand’ and ‘Jai Gangajal’ and recent ‘Pink’ on dealing with the subject with sensitivity.
‘DON’T ASSOCIATE IT WITH STIGMA’
‘Pink’ and ‘Kahaani2’ writer Ritesh Shah says writing on issues like rape, molestation or abuse is very disturbing. His National Award winning film ‘Pink’ stirred a debate on molestation and women while Vidya Balan starrer ‘Kahaani2’ dealt with the issue of child abuse.
“Writing about rape, building a plot on the story and creating a scene is certainly not a pleasant experience. If you are a sensitive person – man or woman – it disturbs you to the core,” says the writer.
As a responsible writer, he has taken a call to highlight the social aspects after the crime.
“We did it in ‘Pink’ and ‘Kahaani2’. Any physical violation on a woman is an act of crime which is forced on her without her wish. So, it’s my personal call to see that social stigma does not get associated with it. It should not be seen as ‘izzat lut gai’ or ‘sharam’. The victim or her family should not feel guilty about it. The message should be clear: Rape, molestation or abuse is a crime and should be dealt with an iron hand,” says Ritesh.
Incidentally, he is again working on a subject that deals with the social stigma aspect of such crimes.
USED AS SELLING POINT
After the ‘80s and ‘90s, a lot of Bollywood films were seen in which rapes were a part of the storyline. It also kicked off the trend of revenge drama after rape.
Actors Shakti Kapoor and Ranjeet have confessed in their interviews that due to these “film acts”, their villainous image is still fresh in the public mind .
“At one point of time, ‘rape scenes’ used to an integral ingredient
in a section of films. In fact, was used as a selling point, the way item songs are used now. Unfortunately, rapes scenes were glorified and were used as an entertainment. And there was an audience which went to watch such films,” says Shah.
Tiwari too recalls, “For a long time, the hero’s sister was vulnerable to rape. Makers cashed on using rape scenes as titillation for male audiences. But in that era too, there were good film makers. It all depends on the sensitively of film makers. Thankfully, today’s makers are very sensitive and have taken forward the issue in a social context like we saw in Pink.”
‘CONDEMNABLE’
National award winning film maker Prakash Jha has dealt with the subject with great sensitively in his films.
“We show only what we see in society and it’s a sad truth that it’s happening around us. Unlike ‘aarakshan’ (reservation) and naxalism, there can’t be two opinions about it. It is bad and can only be condemned! My stand on the issue is that of a father, brother or any responsible citizen. As a filmmaker, we don’t have any formula on how to go about it and take it forward as per the storyline and script. Every film maker approaches it differently and my audience has seen in my films how I deal with it,” says Jha.