#CelebrateingtheRainbow at the workplace – share your stories of Pride!
The ban on Churails in Pakistan after a clip of a character talking about giving sexual favours to get a job went viral, reeks of patriarchy.
Pakistan’s web series ‘Churails’ has been earning international acclaim based on its content and approach. An all female lead series, it tackles uneasy questions of child abuse, forced marriages, classism, elitism and racism. Directed by Asim Abbas, this series is available on ZEE5 global.
It was only recently that this series was banned after one of its clips went viral on social media. In this clip, veteran actor Heena Khwaja Hayat who plays Sherry, talks about all the sexual favours she had to give in order to get a job. The clip has become the basis for banning the critically acclaimed series in Pakistan.
This series has been famous for its bold content and a female lead cast. However, its story line raised important social issues which posed a threat to the conservatives of the society who were constantly eyeing the series. The clip not only gave them a reason to demand a ban, but has also given them another chance to make comments about ‘vulgarity.’
In a more general sense, these bans are not new. The society has always sought to ban women and their issues. This series raises important questions which reflect on the narrow-minded and unequal society riddled with conservatism.
It not only raises such questions but also dismantles and encourages others to dismantle such power systems. Under the garb of ‘vulgarity,’ this ban is directed towards controlling change. It is a direct attack launched at deviance under the name of promoting vulgarity.
And it is ironical how the society always defines vulgarity in ways which degrades women and her expression of sexuality. While any expression terrifies the social watchdogs, similar expression by men is not just welcome but is celebrated.
The motto of these social watchdogs is to maintain the status quo and inculcate a sense of belief in all the members of the society. One that says that this social set up is the epitome of equality, truth and justice.
Innumerable attempts are made to hammer in the fact that nothing is wrong with the current system. It is this very system which uses the plank of culture, tradition and values to exploit women. This exploitation is then gift-wrapped and served as the ideal social reality.
Series like these which bare the social realities rid with power inequalities and those that threaten social stability are immediately controlled. Thus, when incidents like the one mentioned get limelight, a debate on their rationality and morality gains momentum. And such questions put them at odds with a society that demands and accepts only unconditional allegiance and not logical disagreements.
Realist expressions of challenge and social evils prevalent in the society dismantle the smoke screen of an equal society created by ideology and power. And the truth of asymmetrical power relations and unequal social realities start getting public gaze.
The #MeToo movement is an example of such an explosion. It started off with highlighting the gender equalities prevalent in Bollywood and Hollywood. However, it also captured the continued efforts undertaken to subdue the claims women made.
It is a reality that women are made to give sexual favours in order to get jobs. But the society’s refusal to accept it reflects society’s insensitivity towards women.
These explosions of truth are hazardous only to those who reap benefits out of these patriarchal settings. They fear that the public scrutiny would dismantle the system and strip them off their privileges.
Therefore, they resort to constant bans on women, their expression, creativity and sexuality. Often using it as a tool to control and maintain the status quo that showers them with multiple privileges.
The ban on ‘Churails’ is a classic example of a ban wrapped in tradition, culture and values to preserve the status quo. And to continue dominance over the dominated.
To watch the trailer of the series, please click on the link below.
Picture credits: Stills from the series Churails
Political Science Research Scholar. Doesn't believe in binaries and essentialism. read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
A wonderful, nuanced short film, The Broken Table by Large Short Films delves into the complexity of Alzheimers and of relationships.
Were you ever taught to love yourself for who you are? Directed by Chintan Sarda, the short film The Broken Table (2023) (streaming on YouTube) raises this question in a profound manner. The film is a paean to positivity and enforces the idea that no matter what you are, you are always enough.
The story unfolds on an evening when Deepti (Rasika Dugal) comes to take care of Giri (Naseeruddin Shah), a man who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. She is an aspiring psychologist, and it is an opportunity for her to learn about the illness.
Giri, who was a lawyer, has forgotten that he has retired, and he tries several times to go to work. However, he has intermittent memories and reminisces about the lovely times he had with his wife. He cherishes her and is therefore offended when Deepti speaks of her as being dead.
What lessons will we learn from the wrestlers' protest? Will the young girls have the courage to speak up against evil after they hear the deafening silence of support for the Betis?
On the 28th of May, Indian wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Sangeeta Phogat, Bajrang Punia and others were forcibly evicted from their protest site at Jantar Mantar. They were arrested, and severe charges were slapped against them.
Newspapers, that a few years ago, had carried photographs of these wrestlers proudly holding their medals draped in the Indian flag, were now splashed with photographs of these wrestlers being forcibly dragged into police buses. The wrestlers were protesting against Brij Bhushan Singh, an MP and president of the Wrestling Foundation of India, accusing him of sexual misconduct.
A similar case of molestation rocked US gymnastics a few years ago, where Larry Nassar, the team doctor, was accused and finally convicted of sexual abuse. The victims included Olympic medallist Simone Biles. During the trial, several lapses by the USAG and MSU in investigating the accusations came in front.
Please enter your email address