Director and script writer, Gopi Puthran calls for immediate action on violence against women. By team viva
Ace Bollywood director Gopi Puthran has been vocal about rights of women which came through in Yash Raj Films’ Mardaani and Mardaani 2, for which he wrote the script too. Gopi wants society to be open about admitting that violence against women is an epidemic and hopes that people engage with each other immediately on how to tackle this menace.
Gopi says, “Violence against women keeps breeding because of a toxic, stagnant culture that refuses to acknowledge the equal existence and independent agency of women in the fabric of society. And this culture has little to do with the socio-economic strata and has to do with the patriarchal values which have seeped into our day to day behaviour, cutting across economic and social conditions.”
He adds, “But cultures don’t change overnight and they definitely don’t change by shoving glaring issues under the carpet. The more we talk about the extent and impact that violence has on women’s lives and the permanent trauma that it causes, the more we can hope to bring about some behavioural change.”
He further states, “As someone who’s been raised and influenced by strong, independent women I feel deeply that one of the ways that crime against women can be curbed is by talking about such crimes openly and without attaching ‘shame’ and ‘guilt’ to the women who go through it. They are not ‘victims’ that need rescuing, they are ‘humans’ who seek justice for the wrongs they’ve faced.”
