Devi, The Short Film, Holds Up A Mirror To The Sickening Reality Of Rape In India. We All Need To Watch This!
The thing about being a content creator is that you’re also inadvertently a content consumer. Everyday before I put my two cents out there, I consume articles and features written by somebody else. Some offer newer perspectives, some confirm what you already know. I voraciously read and watch. And today, I started my day with a short film called Devi, featuring a stellar star cast of actresses like Kajol, Shruti Hassan, Neha Dhupia and the likes of them, all in the role of rape victims.
The film starts with Kajol praying to god, with a thali in hand and prayers on the lips, in an awfully glum living room of a house that is inhabited by a bunch of women, all littered around the room. It’s like dementors have been there, all the happiness, the joy sucked out of the room. The TV comes to life, and as it flickers, you see a reporter standing in front of the victim’s house.
The electricity goes, and the dialogue is suddenly open for the women in the room. The stories of rape tumble out, the details laid out if horrific detail and for every woman and man watching this, a cold grips you. And despite the many times we have turned our face away from this, we know this is true. That these stories, this, it’s all real for some women.
You find out these women are here because they have one thing in common- they were all raped. But if you are shaken, know that these are just a few. That there are crimes happening every day. And that this is just a tiny, tiny part of it. And if you’re disturbed, you should be. Because till we aren’t shaken, till we aren’t forced to open our eyes to the reality of this, we shall be oblivious. And that’s what we’ve been doing till now.
Also Read : Bombay High Court Says Consent Acquired By False Promise Of Marriage Amounts To Rape. But This Is A Double-Edged Sword
#Devi receives a 4/5 rating from Whyit. in, describing it as must watch short film that will make you stunned. @ElectricApplesE https://t.co/Ltx6enyFc7
— Kajol Fan Club (@KajolFC) March 2, 2020
The short film, that played on our minds and much as it did on our conscience was a bulls eye for all those who pretend to be oblivious to the pain and struggle of the victims and the ones that didn’t make it. As the film ends with the TV blaring with facts of how a woman is raped every 22 minutes in this country, once again, it forces to us to question whether this will ever stop. From elderly women to ones who are just a few years old, no woman is safe, and the pain of that trauma, that injustice and that indifference from the society is what often kills us all. And that is exactly what this film probably aimed at making people realise, all the while holding a mirror to present day reality.
Hitting a nerve or two, a little too strong, this film was a wake up call for every one out there who absolve themselves of the responsibility and consequences of their actions, to remind them how women in this society are being hunted down, and maybe, just maybe, that needs to end.
It’s interesting that this should stream today. The day where Nirbhaya was denied justice once again. And while we wait for her perpetrators to be hanged, we watch as other women fall victim to the same crime. Disheartening.
