7 Ways how Bollywood trivializes rape

<p>The influence Bollywood has on people is undeniable, however, the industry is forgetting that with great power comes greater responsibilities. When it comes to rape, Bollywood movies cannot seem to get the message right. There are hundreds of movies where rape is reduced to just a joke, heroines are made to play the role of a perfect victim and the hero, or the anti-hero, has all the fun—he can rape a girl and get away with it or sing derogatory songs and win accolades and hearts of the audience. Here are seven instances how Bollywood trivializes rape:<br></p>

<p>Now, a hero, especially in Bollywood, cannot take no for an answer. In ‘Dhadkan’ Sunil Shetty pursues Shilpa Shetty even after she was married to Akshay Kumar. And ‘Tere Naam’ needs no further explanation. ‘No’ is not just a word, it is a girl’s decision. A girl has every right to make a choice and it’s equally important that a boy should respect that choice.<br></p>

<p>When the entire nation is fighting to bring justice to rape victims, there are hundreds of movies in Bollywood with joke on rape. For instance, the ‘balatkar’ speech by the character named Chatur in '3 Idiots' is hilarious but offensive at the same time.<br></p>

<p>When anyone speaks of actors like Ranjeet and Prem Chopra, the first thing that comes to our mind is the role of rapists or lecherous characters that they play on screen. In the movie ‘Housefull 2’, Ranjeet played the role of a therapist, which was spelled as ‘THE RAPIST’!!!<br></p>

<p>Rape is a crime and like other crimes it should be brought to the notice of the authorities by filing an FIR. But Bollywood thinks otherwise, for instance, in ‘Prem Granth’, Madhuri Dixit becomes an unwanted mother after she is gang raped by a group of men. She keeps the matter under wraps and marries Rishi Kapoor. Should not she have reported the incident to police first? Rape is a crime, and Bollywood should stop portraying it as a natural calamity!<br></p>

<p>In many Bollywood movies, the heroines play the role of a rape victim to perfection. She is either ostracized or leaves home and goes to a place where no one recognizes her. Or, her parents fixes her marriage with a man as soon as possible because she has brought shame to the family. This is not how we treat a rape victim. She should be encouraged to fight against the criminals, the society and family members should give her the much-needed support and help her to lead a normal life.<br></p><p>(Image: Shutterstock)</p>

<p>There are numerous instances in Bollywood movies where a girl is blamed for getting raped. Be it the society or her parents, she is held responsible for the crime. Reason? The clothes she wears, the company she keeps or maybe the way she talks with people!<br></p>

<p>Be it ‘Gandi baat’ or ‘Sheila ki jawaani’, very few movies are incomplete without songs with derogatory lyrics. No wonder these are good for business, but moviemakers and lyricists should think twice before including such songs in a movie because it shows woman in poor light.<br></p>