Marco actor Jagadish and the Film Employees Federation of Kerala have reacted to the criticism of violence in films by the Kerala government and police. However, the actor and the directors’ union believe films cannot be blamed for inciting aggressive behaviour. (Also Read: Kunchacko Boban interview: ‘Performance in Officer on Duty my best ever’)
What the Kerala CM and police said
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday alleged that violence is glorified in movies and television serials, warning of its potential impact on young minds. Citing the recent Malayalam film Aavesham as an example, Vijayan referred to a police report stating that some students, after watching the movie, attempted to associate with real-life gangsters, according to PTI.
The chief minister stated the negative impact of films and serials, quoting Fahadh Faasil-starrer Aavesham’s popular dialogue, Eda Mone. “A major concern is the way violence is celebrated in films and serials. Is there a censor board in place to regulate such content?” he asked.
The Kerala Police sought the help of the Ministry to limit access to all violent content, including gory games, due to the effect they have on impressionable youngsters and juveniles. The Hindu quoted a top official saying, “Viewing violent films or playing viscerally realistic and gruesome video games that normalise murder and mayhem are not necessarily primary predictors of debut crimes.”
The official, though, believes such content can leave an impression on juveniles taking drugs, stating, “However, they represent a risk factor such as rising synthetic drug abuse, which often manifests in fatal schoolyard and campus brawls, domestic violence and brutal instances of ragging in college hostels.” This comes after the recent death of a class 10 student in a schoolyard brawl in Kozhikode.
Several other politicians and bigwigs had also pitched in and shared their opinions on the matter.
How did Marco actor Jagadish react
Jagadish was promoting his upcoming film Parivar when he was asked his view on the matter. The actor defended cinema, stating that when people did not accept Gandhism after watching Lage Raho Munna Bhai, it cannot be concluded that people are influenced by watching evil. He said, “Lage Raho Munna Bhai asked people to accept Gandhism; how many did it? So, are we saying people are influenced only by evil, not good? And what about the actors?”
He cited the example of how his character Tony Issac in Marco supports violence, but he doesn’t. “So, does the audience prefer Tony Issac or Jagadish? If you like Jagadish, Jagadish has never spoken in support of violence. I spread love when I visit schools and colleges. So, if the audience accepts the message by Tony Issac but not Jagadish, then it really is a matter for debate,” said the actor.
The Film Employees Federation of Kerala’s response
The Film Employees Federation of Kerala released a statement on Tuesday. PTI reported that union president Renji Panicker and general secretary G S Vijayan said they had taken note of the opinions of the government, political leaders, psychologists, media, and the police that such movies propelled young people into violence.
The statement said, “These opinions are based on a very weak and simplistic theory that the ‘violence’ depicted in the movies causes social evils. Violence is a subject analysed in detail by various disciplines. Studies have made it clear that the social, cultural, and economic insecurities faced by individuals, alienation, exclusion, and marginalisation can lead to violence.”
The statement argued that cultural invasion is possible from anywhere through web series, games, and movies from other foreign lands in a world of unprecedented media explosion. “It is no secret that the movies with most violence are coming from Korea and Japan. However, Japan is a country with the lowest crime rate as their legal system, social security standards and social auditing carry out their work effectively,” read a portion of the statement.
In a social environment where any data produced in the world is available at the tip of one’s finger, it is baseless to denigrate films for ‘producing’ violence, they said, adding, “Portraying films as the sole cause of violence is absurd and false. Do films instigate sexual violence and rape culture? Is cinema the cause of the ideological decay that has gripped political parties and the corruption that has affected governments?”
The statement said movies find their basis in the facts and ideas from the existing social body. At a time when the police, excise and media say that drug abuse is the reason for many of the crimes, a few films that visualised these cannot be blamed for the social evil, it said. “We are saddened and disappointed that those who should be rising through sharp self-criticism are finding lazy satisfaction in blaming cinema for violence,” it said.
The statement, however, said expressions that simply glorify and commodify violence and treat it as the cause and means of pleasure must be criticised. “We are willing to approach such representations of violence with caution. We have already started such democratic debates,” the statement said.
With inputs from PTI