Raveena Tandon Takes On The Rape issue Headlong

In  her forthcoming film Maatr, Raveena Tandon takes on the subject of rape with a brutal force.The film lays open some ugly truth about the way the judicial system fails a rape  victim.

Says Raveena emotionally, “This is a topic I feel very strongly about.I’ve three daughters(two of them are adoptive) and I worry about their safety constantly.And why just daughters? Are sons safe any more? Is anyone safe any longer? We’ve politicians claiming women are responsible for provoking rapists. Can you imagine the depths of callousness that our politicians have plunged to? When a 30-year old woman was gangraped at a tennis club in Bengaluru, theKarnataka Home  Minister wanted to know why she was playing tennis at 9.30 pm.”

Raveena feels the cases of rape are growing each year. “If we don’t take drastic steps, if we don’t instil the fear of God and justice into potential rapists I am afraid the rape statistics will multiply.But how can rapists be dissuaded when the most brutal of the Nirbhaya rapists Mohammad Afroz was declared a juvenile, treated with kid’s gloves in jail, given a sowing machine and rehabilitated as a tailor. He was  eventually alleged to have links with a terror outfit. If this is what happens with brutal rapists I can just see elders of primitive cultures telling their youngsters to go and  sow their wild oats while they still fall under the juvenile laws’ act.”

Raveena met Nirbhaya’s mother in Delhi , the city where Maatr is set. “She told me something I’ll never forget. She said all the attention that her daughter’s rape and murder got lasted for four days. From the fifth day she was on her own fighting for justice on her daughter’s behalf. Her tears haven’t dried up as yet. They never will.”

Related Post

Raveena feels the law must change for rape statistics  to fall. “I’ve researched extensively for my role.And I feel we need much stronger laws.We also need clerics and priests to stop blaming the length of a woman’s skirt for rape.A 3-year old who gets brutally assaulted doesn’t wear a supposedly provocative skirt to be targeted. When will the custodians  of religion and culture get the point.  Rape is not about sex. It’s about subjugation and dominance.”

Raveena feels her role in Maatr has changed her life. “It is an experience that has left me shaken. We need drastic reforms  in rape laws . Our film puts across uncomfortable facts. It will make the audience think.”

She doesn’t deny that the censor board would have a problem with the content of Maatr. “But I am not going to sit here on a high horse condemning the censor board for doing its job. They’re following the guidelines. And a film like ours doesn’t sit comfortably in a moral and cultural framework.”

 

Vaibhav Choudhary

Leave a Comment
Leave a Comment
Published by
Vaibhav Choudhary

Recent Posts

Kartik Aaryan’s Bravest  Performance To  Date  In  Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3

For those  enamoured  of  the  first two films in  the   funny-fearsome  franchise,  Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is  deliberately… Read More

2nd November 2024

“I could well be Shabana Patil and she Smita Azmi!” Celebrating 69 Years Of Smita Patil

Who discovered Smita Patil for cinema? We  all think it is  Shyam Benegal. But veteran … Read More

18th October 2024

Shreyas Talpade On  Portraying Schizophrenia  In  Zindaginama

The talented Shreyas Talpade admits  that the fact  he went  through  a serious health crisis… Read More

18th October 2024

Raaj Shaandilyaa On Vicky Vidya  Ka Woh Wala Video

Just days before release you had humbug litigation  claiming that your  film was  a copy?… Read More

15th October 2024

Nagarjuna: Exclusive  On The Criminal  Defamation Case Against Telangana Minister Konda Surekha

Nagarjuna:  Exclusive  On The Criminal  Defamation Case Against Telangana Minister Konda Surekha B kha actually… Read More

6th October 2024

It Is  Both My Cross To Bear  & Jewel  To Wear,” Gauri Shinde On 12 Years  Of English Vinglish

It’s been 12 years  of  your English Vinglish, a life-changing experience? Gosh, is it really… Read More

6th October 2024