Friday 14 October 2016

Why Must One Watch Pink?

Image Courtesy: moviescircle.com
Yes, Pink has amazing performances. Every scene, every act and every move in the movie is well-taken and well edited. Scenes with and without dialogues are equally powerful. But, Pink stands out in the box office because there is lot more to it than great performances. The message it conveys and the manner in which it is conveyed is truly exemplary.

When I was watching Pink, I was reminded of:
  • A friend who was totally uncomfortable staying with a girl who had many guy friends. Please note that these guys never came over to their place. She was simply uncomfortable thinking that she was in the ‘wrong company’. 
  • Friends who are embarrassed/feel worked up or concerned if their kids, who are boys love the color pink or purple, love cooking games or ask their mother for a bindi, while dressing up.
  • My friends who have empathized with me saying, ‘after all you are a girl!’
  • People, strikingly even girls, who have commented that in the movie ‘No One Killed Jesscia’, the victim, after all, wore short skirts and she was ‘too’ bold.
  • Guys and girls who felt a celebrity woman was over reacting to a bad touch or making it up, owing to the fact that she played the leading role in a cult movie.
  • Weird advises - you stand too close to guys when you talk to them.
        Me, really? When?”
    Not when you stand face-to-face when you stand side by side.
  •     Don’t tell anyone that you are abused/raped – if there’s anyone who will be left ashamed – it will be you.
There is a proverb in Malayalam which transliterates to ‘whether the thorn falls on the leaf or vice versa, it is the leaf that is at a loss.’ I am sure there are versions of the same proverb in all languages. This dictates and mirrors a social mindset. Guys will after all be guys. It is high time we break this mindset. If the thorn is at fault – it is; period. Do we consider it respectful and a matter of honor that men rape? If the answer is no, why blame the victim?

There needn’t be a prejudice that a girl/woman is friendly because of a hidden agenda. Character cannot be assessed with the length of one’s skirt, the choice of attire or by her choice of drinks.

Subconsciously we – women and men alike - always try reasoning out why a rape or misbehavior occurred – the girl wasn’t dressed well, the guy was provoked, she was out at night, she was walking alone. Have you ever caught yourself saying, “Oh my God! And all this happened in broad daylight.” So, we have separate rules for days and nights. The truth of the matter is - a crime is a crime is a crime.

A stranger has no business to teach a girl, on the road, how to dress, who she should be with, and when she should be outdoors. Rape, abuse and torture has nothing to do with upholding the moral values of our country.

I have often asked men who, I am sure are sane, what they would do when they see a girl who is skimpily dressed. I have often seen a surprise reality dawn on them when they realize that they would never resort to raping or teaching anyone a lesson. Again, a verdict to the fact that rape and emotional/verbal abuse is a crime. It may stem out of feudal upbringing or many other myriad reasons. But, at the end of the day, there are no other explanations or excuses - it is a crime.

Watch Pink to see things in a different light. Watch Pink to be aware of what you need to advise your girls and boys. Watch Pink to instill the most precious of qualities in your children - compassion and mutual respect. Most girls freeze when they are in a situation where they can be abused. Girls are most often confused and believe that they are the ones at fault. This is true even in the case of child abuse – girls and boys alike. Do we parents have a role in instilling fear in our children, to make things easy for us? Think about it.

As parents, teachers and mentors, I believe, we need to modify our advise patterns and methodologies. Don’t just like and share valuable pieces of parenting tips you read on the Internet. Practice them! Do it for yourself. Do it for the next generation. It is not for us to fear a mistake we may have committed and take a whole crime scene, if any, on our shoulders.

Watch Pink simply because it makes sense. Watch it for yourself. Watch it for your children and with your children.

I'll stop with a few - very few - negative comments of the movie I came across, which I think is worth discussing. They are:

1.       There was too much drama in the court scenes.
2.       The climax is predictable.
3.       Why Pink?
4.       Pink fails to ring a bell in the feudal minds and thus, is a failure.

I, personally, love the movie from the title to the climax. The title breaks your expectation of seeing something cheerful and girly if something’s termed as Pink. The movie is out and out about changing mindsets.

The tears, the drama and the uncertain faces in the court is a true verdict that fear is a common factor no matter what we know about legal rights of women and the social trend regarding these laws. Nobody really wants to go to court. So, I think, Pink is pictured as realistically as it can be.

About the climax - I am grateful that the maker did not weigh the thriller aspect over the intent of the movie. I am truly glad nobody jumps with joy in the court room after the verdict. That would have been unwanted drama. The confused look on the face of the antagonist deserves a special plus. 

The 4th point stated above is sadly true to a large extent. However, drastic changes never happen. Change is a constant but it takes time. Time will tell and prove it. Let us firmly hope that Pink will be what a movie like Arth, for instance, seems today versus when it was at the time it was made. Until then, we should be happy even if one out of million mindsets change.


Thank you to the makers and the actors - thank you for Pink! 

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