Skip to main content

The Afterlives of Devis




     The 13 minutes short movie Devi by Priyanka Banerjee screams out the disturbing and terrific facts on sexual violence and abuse towards women in India.Every 22 minutes, a woman is raped in our country,which is a fact that is often repeated. But it has to be, because the situation hasn't changed a bit.Ironically,on the one hand, we have multiple Devis that we worship at the clear daylight, and in the intensity of darkness, they are abused and brutally raped and are left with no choice.The movie displays the victims of rape and physical abuse gathered together after their death and disputes over the entry of the newcomer to the room which is already populated.In their afterlife, they don't believe in God, the 'Devis' are no longer worshiped, but sympathised and victimised. Regardless of caste, creed, profession,family,religion and age women are being raped in our country and marital rape is also not any different.But what stroked me is that during the entire movie,they haven't uttered the word, 'death'.It has become their reality and the world of humans has become the world of demons.Some are burnt alive,some are killed with knife,rods and stones,others strangled and some die out of the trauma after the incident.And this trauma is not any different from the pain that the others underwent.Even wearing a Burkha or being old or mute doesn't give you an excuse from not being raped and killed.When the new girl arrived, I was in tears and the characters were numb since she was too small to be there in her afterlife.This movie brilliantly tells the gripping social reality and voices the helplessness of women who are not safe even at their own homes through the metaphorical representation of afterlife.And while I finish writing this, another Devi is getting raped somewhere in India.
#devishortfilm

A.C

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Laapataa Ladies aka Ladies Lost in Patriarchy

Kiran Rao’s “Laapataa Ladies” is a social satire that offers entertainment as well as empowerment. The movie humorously portrays the grave realities of a patriarchal society with the help of a simple story and background. As the name and the trailer suggested, it revolves around two newly married brides who get lost on the way to their in-laws’ home. While Jaya, whom Deepak accidentally brings home instead of his wife Phool, seizes this opportunity to follow her dream, Phool undergoes profound personal growth during the time. This period shows multiple women discovering themselves. Some learn to do things that they love for themselves while others learn to explore and embrace their talents.  Even though Jaya and Phool are two contradictory characters, they are both equally victims of patriarchal conditioning. While Jaya is ready to break and act against all the norms of society from the very beginning by uttering the name of her husband to everyone’s disbelief, Phool learns to do t...

Twenty-Five

They say twenty-five matters,  25 is the age where you are asked to be responsible,  You are supposed to bring home food,  It's an age where your uterus has to be fukcing good,  It is an age where you have to be fair And good as a nymph,  It is when your wallet should have a five-figure sum.  They say at twenty-five,  You will be twenty-five times purer than ever,  To breed and nurture,  No dear not your dreams, but your children's.  But that's not it.  I SAY THAT IS NOT IT.  It is an age where you realize,  You no longer have the desire to live the monotonous life,  You no longer feel alive at a celebration,  You find yourself as the perfect company,  You don't care if you die today or tomorrow,  You want to puke at people who restrict you from doing things.  You no longer want to be surrounded by people,  And your skills are your only saviours.  At 25, you no longer care if people love ...

The Lost Daughter - An Ode to Motherhood and Flawed Mothers

 Mothers are always praised and glorified for the sacrifices that they make and are called supermoms, if they find a balance with their family and work life. Movies have always portrayed mothers as either sacrificial or supermoms. But do all the mothers choose the same road?  Maggie Gyllenhaal's 'The Lost Daughter' speaks for all the flawed unnatural mothers. People who become mothers at an early age, who feel traumatized by the whole new version of themselves, who live in fear of losing their original identity in the run for creating one for their children, who make choices selfishly regardless of their children's needs. Leda in the movie, in fear of losing her individuality in the love for her children, takes a decision to focus on her career. She finds it as an amazing experience and embraces everything that she desired, peeling off the perfect mother image that she is supposed to keep.  When women are considered to have innate motherness in them, people don't re...