As the controversy around the virulent violence and misogyny in the recent film ‘Animal’ reaches a crescendo, Aishwarya Ramasamy, Nguvu Change Leader is turning the spotlight on many popular movies that have inspired real-life crimes against women.
Shraddha Walker – May 2022, strangled by her partner Aaftab Poonawala, body dismembered into 35 pieces, refrigerated with the intention of disposing them over the course of a few months. Inspired by the American crime series “Dexter.”
Vishnupriya – Oct 2022, 18 deep stab wounds by her partner Shyamjith after she called off the relationship. Inspired by the Malayalam film ‘Anjaam Pathira’, which revolved around a serial killer.
Vidya – Sep 2019, Strangled to death by husband Prem Kumar and his partner, Body buried in forests of a neighbouring state. Inspired by the 2013 blockbuster movie ‘Drishyam’.
Nguvu Change Leader Aishwarya Ramasamy asks, “When there is clearly a recurring pattern of violent movies and crime series inspiring gruesome murders of women, should films like ‘Animal’ be allowed to normalize gender violence, glorify misogyny and promote the commodification of women?”
The 2023 NCRB report released last week cites states that in 2022, crimes against women increased by 4%, with 31.4% of cases involving cruelty by husbands and relatives. Over 4.45 lakh crimes against women were reported in 2022 with one unfolding every 51 minutes.
“Netflix will reportedly start streaming “Animal” from January 2024. I strongly urge Netflix to start putting out disclaimers with this movie on scenes that show crimes against women and set an example for other OTT Platforms on creating awareness around gender violence,” says Aishwarya.
“When “Smoking kills” is added as a disclaimer, why not also include a warning that deters potential criminals from harming a woman? Doesn’t violence kill too?” adds Aishwarya.
In 2018, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission had issued a directive to the regional office of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), seeking to include the statutory warning; ‘Violence against women is punishable under the law’ during scenes of violence against women.
She is now asking one of the biggest OTT platforms in the world to be an ally of women and include gender-sensitive statutory warnings so that over a million Indian subscribers, several of them still in an impressionable age, can learn the connection between action and consequence. Aishwarya believes this small change can bring about an awareness that inflicting violence is neither heroic nor ethically acceptable.
The petition has been directed to Monika Shergill, Content Chief at Netflix India, Ameet Dhanwani Films and Licensing at Netflix India and Karuna Gulyani, Director, Communications at Netflix India.
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