This guest post was written by HASINA, with co-authorship contributions from Sanjhana and Mridul from Bebaak Collective, ‘Voices of the Fearless,’ a collective dedicated to addressing the citizenship rights of marginalized communities.

A thread of commonality that ties together Indian society – from familial space to the entertainment industry, from the personal sphere to the political sphere – is the oppression of gender minorities under patriarchy. The longstanding structures of patriarchy and misogyny subject women to various forms of violence and abuse within and outside the household. Such a harsh reality of society is reflected by the popular media and film industry very promptly. The new movies that are being directed and the new music that’s being produced are a great reflection of how we, as a society, have failed women and queer communities. The peppy lyrics that objectify and hyper-sexualise women’s bodies and the movies that glorify toxic masculinity do nothing but perpetuate and normalise gendered violence. As we step into the New Year, we must ask ourselves if we can leave these outdated notions behind and step into a society that fosters peace, equality, and love amongst all.

When we talk about violence, we cannot leave out the impact of mainstream popular media on the larger Indian society. Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s newest blockbuster- Animal, is a disturbing film laden with sexism, misogyny, and toxic masculinity. Vanga’s need to have an alpha male lead means that the movie must depict scenes of violence against women. After all, what is an alpha man if he doesn’t slap his wife and threaten to shoot her every time the wife seeks to have an opinion of her own? Such portrayal of alpha males in Vanga’s movies, often resorting to violence against women, raises concerns about the impact on societal perceptions of masculinity. This film glorifying masculine stereotypes is further putting all those in danger who are also imagining and exploring queer masculinities.

Vanga’s trajectory, from the commercial hit Arjun Reddy to the Hindi remake Kabir Singh, glorifies a masterclass in perpetuating all forms of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse against women. The truly mind-boggling facet here is not just the film’s triumphant blockbuster success but the resounding applause it receives from the masses. Even the animal kingdom must be pondering why it got roped into this; if they could talk, I bet they’d be shouting, ‘Not in my name!'”

A film that is as successful as Animal is prone to have a deep social impact and tends to find resonance with a larger audience, thereby reflecting a societal acceptance contributing to real-world consequences.

Vivek Bindra, a so-called motivational speaker who is also accused of domestic violence charges, is a great example of the same. What’s interesting, however, is that the Vivek Bindra case faced no outrage whatsoever. It is quite ironic to imagine how a nation that has a massive public outrage in cases of violence against cows stays quiet when it comes to cases of violence against women. All of this- the movies, the various cases of domestic violence, the silence of the masses, and the failure of the news channels to cover such violence- are all just a reflection of how we, as a society, have agreed to the terms of patriarchy.

No one talks about the violence in Manipur anymore. Everyone has conveniently forgotten about the 26-second video that went viral of two Kuki women being paraded around naked; nobody talks about how women’s bodies were weaponized and exploited amidst the violence in the state of Manipur. The police remained a silent bystander in this crisis, as did the government. The normalcy of such violence is truly concerning. Sanjay Singh, a close aide of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, being elected as the WFI chief despite the mass wrestler protest is concerning. The lack of coverage of Vivek Bindra’s domestic abuse case is concerning. Animal breaking records and becoming a hit amongst the masses is concerning. The extent to which we, as a society, have normalised such cases of violence and have remained silent about these is deeply concerning.

Violence against women is not a new phenomenon in India. It has a larger historical context with roots deeply embedded in traditional patriarchal structures. The historical stratification of society and deeply ingrained gender norms have sustained our patriarchal structure, which, every now and then, violates the right to life with dignity of those who are at the margins.

The caste system, prevalent for centuries, has compounded the vulnerabilities of women, making them susceptible to various forms of abuse. The National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) annual report in 2022 reveals that over 4.45 lakh crimes against women were registered in 2022 alone. This data exposes a massive surge in the rate of crime against women in 2022 as compared to 2020 and 2021. In such a scenario, movies like Animal and Kabir Singh only encourage acts of violence and normalise them furthermore.

This film has received praise from some of the filmmakers of our nation. However, some of them have also expressed their criticism. Javed Akhtar, the lyricist and writer, recently called out the misogyny that these films perpetrate:

“If there’s a film in which a man asks a woman to lick his shoe or if a man says it’s okay to slap a woman… and the film is a super hit, that’s dangerous.”

The scene between the character of Ranbir Kapoor and Tripti Dimri’s character or the numerous other scenes with Bobby Deol’s character being the aggressive, sexual pervert male leaves an immense psychological impact on the viewers. Exposure to violent content can decrease empathy, and cause increased aggressive thoughts, loneliness, and aggression among viewers. Therefore, it becomes imperative to ask the question: do movies simply mirror what happens in society, or do they sculpt the way in which people interact with each other in society?

The feminist movement has been a movement for love, solidarity, equality, and justice. Many cases of domestic abuse, violence against inter-faith couples, no recognition of marriage equality, rape cases, harassment in workspaces, coercion, and verbal abuse- are only some forms of violence that women and marginalised communities face in their day-to-day life while our democratic system and our rights are missing.

In a society where entertainment mirrors and reinforces these disturbing realities, it becomes imperative for us to collectively challenge and redefine the narratives that perpetuate violence. We shall continue to ponder upon what support structures we are building for the youth of our society. In this digital age, cinema should be held accountable for the content it is producing that perpetrates injustices prevalent in our society. Otherwise, we might witness the normalization of aggression and the normative and traditional masculinity shaping into a violent mob.

We shall work towards building spaces where the younger generation can envision a universal politics of justice and liberation. This new year, we must all come together to reimagine a culture that stands for equality and dismantles the deeply ingrained patriarchal structures that continue to plague our social fabric.