After accepting the coveted statuette for her riveting performance in ‘Blue Jasmine’ Cate Blanchett made a heart warming acceptance speech. Thanking Sony for their bravery in distributing the film she took a jibe at many in the film industry who thought women centric films were niche experiences. “They are not. People want to watch them and they do make money. The world is round people,” she exhorted to loud applause as much for her performance as her views.
It does take guts to make films with the female as protagonist purely because there will be resistance. Even if it is a Vijayshanthi or Malashree starrer. Now most characters are stereotypes in mainstream cinema irrespective of gender. When there’s a strong female character that faces and overcomes life’s vicissitudes with resilience rather than physical strength it’s termed different.
It was a pleasant surprise to see two female centric Kannada films, ‘Urvi’ and ‘Shuddhi’ getting released on the same day with the former even boasting a giant cut-out for the three protagonists at the main theatre. Both films were promoted vigorously on social media. ‘Urvi’ is a riot of colours but dark at the core. There are very few grey shades in the characterisation. Most men are malevolent and the women, weak and victimised till they grab a gun. There is a paedophile, pimps and of course a policeman who lectures on the attributes that make the ideal woman. It’s to Shraddha Srinath and Shruthi Hariharan’s credit that they bring a semblance of conviction to ill written characters. While Shraddha is content whining and cuddling up to a mysterious boyfriend with a beard that resembles a beehive Shruthi, seemingly overwhelmed at being the protagonist just hasn’t questioned the director about her character. Why would someone agree to keep bundles of currency found lying in a library? Why would she hand it over to a stranger on the road who claims it’s his?She doesn’t call her boyfriend when she’s accused of stealing, agrees to pay up and even assents to a shady lodge as a venue to settle rather than insisting on doing it at the police station. There’s an irritating, lengthy sequence where a cop keeps laughing just looking at a picture of Tom the cat on his mobile phone. The director is obviously more concerned with the ‘look’. The onus is on the colour rather than the tone. The proceedings seem to be caught in a time warp with the brothel housed in a sprawling ‘haveli’ and the girls controlled by a ruthless madam. What could have been a resistance and uprising like in ‘Mirch Masala’, it is reduced to a bunch of trigger-happy avenging angels killing at random. The only strong, credible scene is when a daughter confronts her father with ugly truths.
‘Shuddhi’ is about rape and retribution. Strangely both films start with scenes of a serene sea and water licking the sands. The calm exterior hides the turbulence. ‘Let no sins of man go unpunished’ is the tagline. Is that sexist? The film refers to the Nirbhaya episode, the brutal mugging of a woman at an ATM the moral policing at Mangalore and misuse of the juvenile justice law.
An American girl lands in India, illegally acquires a gun, staves off a mugger and hunts for men who’ve mercilessly raped and killed her friend before shooting them. She carries the Bhagvad Gita and idolises the Godess Durga. The efficient looking cops are clueless and strangely assume the second killing is suicide even though the murder weapon is not found. Unlike ‘Urvi’ we at least have a journalist arousing awareness through street plays. The common factor in both films is a lack of faith in the police and the law. ‘Shuddhi’ again has very few good men. Interestingly, both films are written and directed by men who seem to have a myopic view. The style of filmmaking is better in ‘Shuddhi’ though, more refined. Of course a tweak in the narrative style is de rigueur these days. There’s the ‘I’ve studied filmmaking abroad’ hangover. It shows when some performers in an effort to appear casual end up stilted. Easily the most under-rated and ignored actress in Kannada, Niveditha takes the acting honours along with Lauren Spartano.
Both films seem to imply that the swiftest form of justice can be attained when you’re armed. Gender is irrelevant when you have a gun in hand.
sshivu@yahoo.com
