Empowering Women — Message To The Masses Through Films
The issue of women’s empowerment and gender equality is at the top of agendas across the world, as gender inequality is widespread in all cultures. Stereotypes and patriarchal cultures have been nurtured by non-inclusive working customs and practices. They are not given equal opportunities though they deserve it. We live in a society where women are objectified, tortured and molested everyday. And, the worst part is, most of the people are silent spectators of these incidents. Women being mistreated is so common in our society that some of us even consider it as a normal flow of life and they think none can change the current scenario and women are the one who have to be more careful and stay home. Renowned film director Anurag Kashyap made a short film about this “not short at all” topic, That Day After Everyday.
Anurag Kashyap’s short film That Day After Everyday is a take on the life of an normal woman who are molested, objectified, eve teased everyday. Due to these issues, their family want them to stay inside. They are asked to run away, avoid and accept things around them. They are taught to stop taking crap from everyone who mistreated them. But, nobody stands to protest against the problems they are facing and punish the imbecile creatures for the good. But, those there women, played by Radhika Apte, Aranya Kaur and Geetanjali Thapa, were brave. They give you a picture of helplessness and victory, one after the other. They weren’t the one who accepted things. They are the one who fought back. Changing the mentality of the society, breaking the normal. Anurag Kashyap’s realism and beautifully crafted story by Nitin Bharadwaj will manage to glue your eye even with this generic storyline. In 20 minutes, this film make you go through a number of emotions, perceptions and relatable situations. This films carries such a bold message that makes most of us hurt.
Not only Mr. Kashyap’s films, there are many like him who are taking a pledge to deliver a message to the masses to change them for betterment. One of them is Kiran Rao. This immensely talented filmmaker managed to embed such a strong message in only 10 seconds. You can watch the video here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/By2DoBJBSVj
Her husband, famous bollywood actor Aamir Khan, posted the film on his instagram account and commented,
“ I didn’t know it was even possible to tell a story in 10 seconds! She has shown me how.”
The Indian films like Raazi, English Vinglish, Kahaani, Queen, Mardaani, Pink, Lipstick Under My Burkha are also trying to reach out to the masses through this mainstream media. International films like Suffragette, He Named Me Malala, Hidden Figures, The Breadwinner are also portraying the same situation in different story lines.
It is open for the viewer to give a positive or negative verdict. But, one undeniable truth is the way women suffer. There are lots of online campaigns, social media hashtags flowing around. But, is the actual change happening? Will society change? Will the laws be implemented in a strict way?
This blog was written by me as a part of our a group assignment in our coursework. (Team mates: Aiyushi Saha, Debadrita Neogi, Rafat Yasmin, Gourab Chakrabarti)
