By Ahmed Al-Hanaki
It is difficult to stand up for and defend women in a male-dominated society that does not condone mistakes, especially when it is about sex. I recently saw Amitabh Bachchan’s movie “Pink”. This great Indian actor has played the hero in a large number of action movies that have been seen by many people in the Gulf. He, however, sometimes plays different roles. In the last two decades, he has appeared in many non-action movies, which have created a lot of buzz and shed light on important social issues.
A few years ago, I read about cases of rape in India and how the victims were blamed in certain cases, something that is unfortunate. Yes, Indian society treats women cruelly and most Middle Eastern countries do the same. The level of cruelty against women differs in intensity from one country to another. The laws, religion, and judicial and police corruption also differ.
In “Pink”, Bachchan plays a lawyer who defends a group of desperate girls who were invited to a barbecue where one of them was sexually assaulted. In her defense and honor, she hits the attacker on the head and runs away leaving him bleeding. The attacker happens to be a relative of an influential person. He begins to humiliate and threaten the young woman. I do not want to give more details about the movie because I do not want to spoil it for readers but I encourage people to watch this great movie.
Bachchan, the lawyer, shows how society is full of contradictions and hypocrisy, and that it discriminates against women. He emphasizes the ignorance of some people and how they have been conditioned since childhood to blame women. The sad thing is that some of these people include women, who repress other women. I think this can be attributed to the fact that men have for centuries fought in wars and been the breadwinners.
When China passed a family planning law that meant parents would only be allowed one child, some parents got rid of their female babies. In “Pink”, Bachchan uses a different defense technique. Instead of depicting his clients, the three girls, as models and good Indian citizens, he highlights their mistakes and tells the courts and all people in the court that these young women made mistakes just like some men – why are they not treated equally? In the film he mentions important rules that we should all ponder and mull over. The message of this Indian movie is universal.
