The normalisation of stalking in movies and soap operas that stereotype the role of women is a disturbing trend in Bollywood and regional cinema, and there is a need to move away from such stereotyping, said former Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, A.P. Shah.
Speaking at a national conference on women and children organised by the Madras High Court and the Tamil Nadu State Judicial Academy, Mr. Shah said it was high time that society thought about the messages that movies portrayed.
“How we portray women, whether as independent thinkers or objects of desire and conquests speaks volumes about how we treat women in society and in our everyday lives,” he said.
Mr. Shah added that for every movie like Kahaani or Queen , there were dozens of movies such as Dhoom and Race “where women were only plot figures and the evidence of the hero realising his dreams.”
He added that it was undesirable to have any statutory regulation of media at this point in time. “Some media houses have already become mouthpieces of the ruling party. It is time we protect free media,” Mr. Shah said.
The issue of stalking
Filmmaker Suhasini Maniratnam said stalking was a huge problem, not only in movies, but in real life as well. She added that the audience took whatever message they felt they wanted to take from a movie. Stating that some directors in the industry turn responsible only in their 40s, she said, “Some are mature even in their 20s. But unfortunately, many of them are not,” she said.
Actor and director Lakshmi Ramakrishnan said respect for women has generally been declining over the years.
“Men are not able to accept rejection. They don’t understand that it is a woman’s choice. When a girl rejects them, they feel humiliated and want to take revenge. This is encouraged by the media and films.”
N. Ram, Chairman, Kasturi & Sons Ltd, moderated the discussion. He said the media played an important role in projecting the persona of women.
