December 2012 saw a big revolution in our country. It saw people’s anger towards lechers. It saw the nation’s unity against rape. But did the 2012 Delhi Gang rape case change anything?
We still wake up to news of rapes almost daily. Some minors, some adults, even some elder citizens are raped every now and then. Someone breaks into a paying guest accommodation but still the girls are taught to stay in and take precaution. Why?
As the lawyer, Mr Deepak Sehgal (Amitabh Bachchan), quips in PINK, “We’ve all been going in the wrong direction since forever. We should make sure to keep our boys safe (from ‘provocative’ women) and not the girls.”
PINK reiterates the problems in gender inequality and the idea of ‘consent’ in an absolutely impacting way. It tells the same story but in manner that will keep you gripped until the end. It revolves around a sexual harassment case wherein fingers are pointed at the girl’s “questionable character” and how power and influence turn the situation against her.
It brings up a lot of double standards and hypocritical stands prevailing in our “society”.
It’s OK for a guy to stay out late, party or have sex with any girl he likes but if a girl does the same, God save her soul. Plus, a usual stranger girl is OK to have sex with but, God forbid, if she turns out to be a sex worker, she immediately needs to be thrown out because you know “ki woh ladki galat hai.”
“Only the men drink. Ek achche ghar ki ladki sharaab nahi peeti (a reputed family’s daughter doesn’t drink). Aur jo aisa karti hain, unke sath aisa he hona chahiye (and whoever does that, they deserve the bad things to happen to them).”
Well, what about the achche ghar ke ladke?
An independent working woman is usually looked at as non-ideal. Basically, any woman without her laaj ka gehna is not to be spoken or seen around with.
A girl from North-East? Super! Harass her as much as you want because, who cares?
Consent. What is that? If a ‘forward’ lady chats with you or drinks with you, you know she wants to sleep with you. You know you’ll get it because YOU WANT IT.
And now that you, being a girl, have been out so late and have been drinking, it is all right if someone outraged your modesty because you called for it. Because pubs, roads, cafes, resorts and whatnots are only for men to be chilling at in the night.
It is absolutely OK to keep a check on random girls staying in your locality. It is OK if you keep standing and peeping into their flats because, at the end of the day, you have taken the theka of keeping your society safe.
You forget that you’re the peeping into someone else’s house though, but that’s OK, right?Aside from pointing out all these issues that are plaguing our lives, the film’s plus points are the performances.
Amitabh Bachchan has, as wonted, done a great job as Lawyer Deepak Sehgal. His baritone, facial expressions and contentions make for a great combination. It is he who moves you with the striking realities of life.
Tapsee Pannu successfully brings out the feelings of anxiety and intimidation that the abused Minal Arora goes through.
Kriti Kulhari’s protrayal of Lucknow girl Falak Ali is on-point. Her enunciation is laudable (read Khan from the epiglottis).
The girl from the North East, Andrea, played by Andrea Taring makes for an eye-opening reality of the racism that the North-Easterns have to continuously put up with.
However Piyush Mishra, unusually, disappoints us with his performance as the over enthusiastic prosecutor Mr Kumar. Certain instances were like Rustom revised.
Moving on, the poem that Amitabh Bachchan recites during the end credits is worth sitting through the credits. It is beautiful, powerful and assertive.
P. S. The film shows a landlord so surrealistically cool that everyone is gonna covet one like him. Watch to know why. Also, I couldn’t gather much on why PINK is called PINK and it would be a shame if it would have been titled like that because it revolves around girls because Gender stereotypes are a big NO and “no means NO.”
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