“What is your husband’s name?” The narrator asks Sangeetha Devi. “I can’t say the name of my lord. I have not done so in the seven years since our marriage,” she responds. This is from a two-minute video, from the Khel Badal series.
Samabhav, a travelling film festival organised by Men Against Violence and Abuse (MAVA) is on at the GRD Institute of Management. Directed by Video Volunteers, a community media organisation, the film includes six short narrative videos that question patriarchy and address issues of menstruation, oppression of the veil, fasting, and marital conflicts.
In another video, some young people are asked “How do girls laugh”? All of them cover their faces with a veil, and the laughter is muffled. What about the boys? They take off the veil and laugh out loudly, confidently. Another video shows a woman who fasts for the well-being of her husband, though he has left her for another woman. “I am still married to him, so I am obliged to do it,” she explains. The crowd’s response is mixed. While some laugh, I also hear mutters of “She must stop doing this.”
Eleven-year-old Khushboo who does all the housework before going to school in a still from Khel Badal
Another video shows a boy of around 10 years being asked, “Who lights the stove?”, “Who washes the dishes?”, “Who cooks food?” Looking straight at the camera, he replies, ladki (girl). His 11-year-old sister Kushboo wakes up at five in the morning, cooks food, washes dishes and help her siblings get ready for school. She also dreams of being a doctor.
It is alarming how notions of gender and gender roles are embedded in the minds of the young. None of the videos in the series is long. Shot on the streets and inside homes, the series leaves the audience with a lot to think about.
There is also a screening of Nishant Roy Bombarde’s Marathi short film Daaravtha about an adolescent boy discovering his sexuality. Unlike other boys who spend their time playing cricket, Pankaj prefers to stay indoor, ride his pink ladybird cycle and wear lipstick when no one is around. Pankaj has a crush on a senior boy in his school and joins him in a dance performance as Mohini. His mother is upset when he complains about not being able to wear colourful saris and jewellery. She looks shocked but helps him dress up as Mohini. The mother, shown as a gentle meek lady, rides the bicycle with her son riding pillion through the streets. Her neighbour asks her “When did you become this modern to ride a bicycle?” She just laughs. The film is a genuine enquiry of sexuality and human relationships.
I Am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorced , from Yemen, is directed by Khadija Al-Salami and shows the plight of 10-year-old Nojoom, who enters her 30-year-old husband’s house with a doll. “What we need is a big stick to straighten her out,” says her mother-in-law every time she hesitates to sleep with her husband. Her innocence and relation with her family is portrayed effortlessly. Finally when the judge grants her a divorce, the crowd claps and whistles.
Harish Sadani, co-founder of MAVA
The screenings are followed by an interactive session with activist Bimla Chandrasekaran. “Who are we protecting our women from?” asks Chandrasekaran and appeals to the people to be sensitive towards each other and to think critically before blindly following tradition. Harish Sadani, Co-founder and Chief Functionary of MAVA, says, “I believe that violence against women is mostly because of the society’s wrong attitude. College students are the best people to be influenced and films, I believe, have a great reach in influencing them.”MBA student Sneha P says, “I can’t believe how girls are conditioned to follow all the stereotypes. These movies made me think about sexuality and the gender bias in our society.”
Starting from Coimbatore the festival travels to Delhi, Bengaluru, Thrissur, Kolkata, Jalgaon, Shirpur, Mumbai, Pune, Sangli, Kolhapur and Mumbai.
