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Don't blame Bollywood for rapes in the country

Updated on: 04 January,2013 06:49 AM IST  | 
Ashoke Pandit |

The country is being plundered and looted, young woman are being raped and murdered and our honourable Prime Minister in his speech asks the nation if 'That's OK?'

Don't blame Bollywood for rapes in the country

Ashok PanditThe country is being plundered and looted, young woman are being raped and murdered and our honourable Prime Minister in his speech asks the nation if ‘That’s OK?’


No, Mr PM, it is not ok when an entire country has to come out on the streets, weathering lathi charge and water cannons for their PM to react on a brutality that should have never happened in the first place. The tragedy has shocked each one of us. We are all trying to find closure to the trauma and the pain. Our posters say that the death of Nirbhaya will not go in vain. But, in fact, the death of Nirbhaya is in vain.


Twenty-three is no age to die; we never knew her real name, we shall never understand her pain neither we will ever know the pain of the parents who were shunted out of the country overnight like criminals with their dying daughter. It is difficult to believe that doctors of a medically advanced country like India allowed the fragile girl to travel abroad for something as complicated as an organ transplant. There was no difference between the rapist and the government. The rapist raped her and dumped her to die while the government failed to secure her and dumped her in Singapore to die. They both dumped her to hide their sins.


Every time a minister makes a passionate speech, the veracity of the feelings are questioned. Concerns by ministers appear fake and dishonest because they haven’t felt this sharp pain. When a Shinde says that he has three daughters and understands the pain, all one wants to say is ‘No Mr Home Minister you don’t. On a Sunday when your daughter leaves home to see a movie, the entire governmental machinery protects her.’

And what is the best way to brush a crime under the rug? You blame Bollywood. Claiming that movies instigate rapes is a ridiculous excuse. Just as beauty lies in the eye of the beholder so does perversion. If an actress onscreen titillates you, does that mean you will rape a girl on the road? Don’t pin the guilt of raping a girl on a Bollywood item number because then you are just trivialising the crime.

Rape never taints the dignity of the victim. It is the system. We are still debating the punishment for the accused.

The country demands the death sentence while the politicians of our country — who don’t blink twice to watch pornography in the Parliament — are still contemplating the crime.

This simple question can be solved in minutes if the 548 members simply place themselves in Nirbhaya’s father’s shoes.

Just for a second put yourself in his position and imagine standing in front of your daughter’s pyre.

I am sure the dilemma regarding the severity of the punishment will be solved in a blink of an eye .

But, one lesson we can take away from this incident is that as an older generation we have failed to teach our boys how to respect women. If this begins today, our boys won’t have to hold candle vigils for girls tomorrow.

Burning candles is losing its meaning when the politicians of this country refuse to acknowledge the darkness they are pushing this country into.
It is sad to see our teens screaming for justice, hating the system, the system they are meant to respect. I fear for our future.

Now, left with no options and left with unbridled anger, the only answer we can give is — Revolt!

— The writer is a film director and social activistu00a0

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