Hansal Mehta, Vetrimaaran discuss repercussions of custodial violence portrayed in films

Hansal Mehta and Vetrimaaran, on Thursday, June 9, in an online session with National Law University, Delhi's project 39A, talked about custodial violence and how the portrayal of vigilante violence in movies has led to 'normalisation' of the issue. Vetrimaaran, who directed and produced National-Award winning film Visaaranai (2013), said films have done an 'injustice by glorifying custodial violence through its narrative'. Giving an example of the recent encounter of Hyderabad rape and murder accused, Vetrimaaran said that glorification of custodial violence in movies have made people 'celebrate' custodial death. However, Vetrimaaran exclaimed that filmmakers are not the only bearers of guilt because they have unintentionally and unknowingly replicated what has transpired in real-life on the silver screen. 

Meanwhile, Hansal Mehta said that blaming the audiences or the filmmakers would not do any good. Instead, Mehta said he believed that the change should be seen in the writing of the films. He exclaimed that 'lazy writing' has 'propelled celebration of violence on screen'. Vetrimaaran and Hansal Mehta's comments come after the tragic death of father and son duo Jayaraj and Bennix in police custody. 

Sketchnotes from yesterday's discussion on 'Custodial Violence in Indian Cinema' with filmmakers, @VetriMaaran and @hansalmehta hosted by @project39a. pic.twitter.com/YYcxsEN9NX

— Kruttika Susarla (@kruttikasusarla) July 10, 2020

^{Source: Kruttika Susarla Twitter} 

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Vetrimaaran and Hansal Mehta on their films, Visaaranai and Shahid 

Visaaranai, released in 2016, was based on the novel Lock Up, where the writer, also the victim penned down his experience of custodial violence. The movie directed and produced by Vetrimaaran won the National Award for Best Feature Film that year. Talking about adapting Lock Up into a feature film, Vetrimaaran exclaimed that the movie is just '5% of what happened in reality'. The writer himself only wrote '60% of what happened to him in police custody, keeping in mind the effect of it on his children'.

Whereas, Hansal Mehta, reminisced how a leading Bollywood star wanted him to change the milieu and the religion of the protagonist of Shahid. However, Hansal Mehta exclaimed that he is happy that Shahid was made the way he wanted because he believed the movie had a positive impact on many youngsters. He recalled various instances when youngsters approached him to heap praises on Shahid. 

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Further in the online session, Hansal Mehta and Vetrimaaran discussed how movies these days 'transcend' caste and religion. Vetrimaaran took names of filmmakers like Nagraj Manjule and Pa Ranjith, who are successfully narrating stories of the marginalised. Whereas, Hansal Mehta talked about Gully Boy set in a Muslim household.  

Visaaranai, starring Dinesh Ravi, Aadukulam Murugadoss, Silambarasan Rathnasamy, and Pradheesh Raj, narrates the tale of Tamil labourers who are arrested and tortured in police custody for a crime they did not commit. Visaaranai, directed by Vetrimaaran, was India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89^th Academy Awards. The movie is based on Lock Up by M.Chandrakumar. 

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Meanwhile, Shahid, starring Rajkummar Rao, Kay Kay Menon, Tigmanshu Dhulia, and Prabhleen Sandhu in the lead, narrates the tale of Shahid Azim who gets arrested by the police for gruesome charges. The Hansal Mehta-directorial is based on Shahid Azim's life, a lawyer and an activist. Hansal Mehta received the Best Director Award at the 61st National Film Awards for Shahid. 

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