Netrikann is a slap in the face of victim blamers, and the message is even sweeter to listen to, because the words come directly from the mouth of a woman.
Tamil cinema has come a really long way from the days of Manmadhan (my disgust at the existence of this movie has lasted for years). Ah, the ‘glory days’ back when the hero was a serial killer who murdered ‘immoral’ women! What a shame that that kind of bullshit doesn’t fly anymore. Poor, old misogynistic victim blamers.
Nerkonda Paarvai (the Tamil remake of Pink) had a famous male star (Ajith) deliver lines about how nobody can use the ‘character’ of a woman as justification for denying them consent. And there was supposed to be a scene (why was it deleted?) in Vijay’s Master, commenting on the ridiculousness of victim blaming.
But none of these come close to being as satisfying as Lady Superstar (as she is called) Nayanthara lashing out at a man for attempting to suggest that he had only been targeting ‘bad’ women.
Ex-CBI officer Durga is constantly being underestimated due to her visual impairment; however, she is constantly proving these ableist people wrong. She is bold, independent, and has better observation skills than a lot of people who have good vision.
Thankfully, Durga, despite her name, is no goddess. She is dealing with sadness and guilt from the mistakes of her past, that led to her visual impairment, as well as her losing her job in the CBI. Even though she is extremely intelligent, and her intentions are good, the impact of her actions is not always good.
Her humanness is what makes her words so powerful when she stands up to the male antagonist. We do not have to earn the right to stand up to men by being ‘pure’. No matter how well-intentioned, a man standing up for me (as a woman) does not make me feel powerful in the same way that a woman standing up for me does.
I understand that Tamil movies usually have the male stars deliver messages instead of the actresses because it is sadly the case that they tend to have more clout than their female co-stars. However, it makes me so happy that at least Nayanthara does seem to have enough clout, because I cannot express in words how amazing it is to finally have a woman blast the culture of victim blaming!
Netrikann makes it very clear that victim blaming is mere excuses given by perpetrators, and people who enable perpetrators.
The antagonist literally admits to enjoying his victims’ pain. That is what makes him act the way he does. And yet, he later turns around and tries to defend himself saying that the women he targeted were ‘not good’ women.
Durga does not take it for a second. As she says, “If the girl wants an abortion or if she wears revealing clothes, or even strolls around naked … let her be a good girl … or a bad girl … Why the hell does that bother you? It’s her life. She can do as she wants. Just because you think what she does is bad … you’d do whatever you want?” It is also immensely satisfying to hear her swear at him when he tries to intimidate her.
It is plain truth that nobody has the right to commit sexual crimes against somebody, no matter what that person is like. And it is also plain truth that these crimes have far more to do with the perpetrator than they do with the victim’s behaviour, as shown by the antagonist of this film.
So, with the arrival of Netrikann (now available to stream on Disney + Hotstar), I sincerely hope that the days of victim blaming women in Tamil cinema, are firmly in the past.
read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, indivisual posts do not necessarily represent the platofrom's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
If in-laws treat their daughters in law differently, it can certainly lead to a very traumatic and sticky situation in the family.
“Can you get me some water?” asked my MIL from her place in the bedroom at 11a.m. on a leisurely Sunday.
Apologies to patriotic people, but most of us Indians are not sensitive to special needs people & their emotions. Let's make this world a better place for them!
Apologies to patriotic people, but most of us Indians are not sensitive to special needs people & their emotions. Let’s make this world a better place for them!
My daughter Farheena is a young, smart lady with special needs. She is 26 years of age. I was diagnosed with 3rd Stage breast cancer when she was just 11 months old. Considering how our society responds to people who are different in any way, I was so scared to die that I kicked cancer and continued living. Of course, I had to undergo regular treatment to overcome cancer, but it was not tough.
Why did she go out in the evening alone? This was the shocking question NCW member Chandramukhi Devi asked about the Badaun rape & murder victim.
A few days ago, the National Commission for Women member Chandramukhi Devi said, “I feel had the woman not stepped out in the evening, or one of her children had accompanied her, the incident would not have occurred”, while interacting with reporters reacting to the gang-rape of a 50 year old woman in a temple in Badaun, Uttar Pradesh. In doing so, she exposed the internalized patriarchal view that exists in the National Commission of Women.
Former Union Minister Chinmayanand was granted bail in the case of raping a law student. The High Court didn't even consider it a case of rape. Victim blaming, much?
Former Union Minister Chinmayanand was granted bail in the case of raping a law student. The High Court didn’t even consider it a case of rape. Victim blaming, much?
On February 4th 2020, the Allahabad High Court granted bail to former Union Minister and a BJP worker Swami Chinmayanand. He was arrested in the case of a sexual exploitation of a woman who was a law student at Shahjahanpur. The court said, “Both parties crossed their limits and at this stage, it is very difficult to adjudicate as to who exploited whom. In fact, both of them used each other.”