Malayalam cinema aka Mollywood saw the rise of Minnal Murali last month. Indian cinema got its first male superhero film. But this post is dedicated to the female superhero of malayalam cinema, who showed her extraordinary powers, five years back. Yes, I am talking about HER. The survivor of Kerala actress assault case.
Imagine leaving your workplace in a car at night; being kidnapped, sexually assaulted, filmed and threatened. What would you do if this happened to you? Fear would be the emotion that control us in such a situation; even more than the pain and humiliation. Fear of facing the next day, fear of facing the world, fear of what this experience would lead us to.
Most of us would not have it in us to face people, not even our loved ones. Majority of us wouldn’t even dare to file an FIR against the crime done to us. But the woman I’m referring to or celebrating in this post, faced the worst experience, obviously had fear and pain reigning her thought process. Yet she showed the courage to take the legal route within 24 hours.
Despite being in an emotionally precarious state and vulnerable to the core she went through the norms of the procedure. Some survivors may not be even open to the touch of their loved ones in such a state. It is not easy; you need to be in a survivor’s shoes to understand the amount of courage and willpower needed.
Her case stands out in the MeToo movement of India. Why? Because she has ticked all the boxes of the ‘things to be done’ by a survivor once the assault happens – as per the naysayers of the movement. When a woman opens up about what happened to her years back, they are up in arms to tell her how she should’ve done this, should’ve done that, reacted immediately, filed the case in 24 hours. They have no thought for the trauma a survivor might be going through; they have no clue on how much it takes of a survivor to reach that point.
So according to the Me Too experts checklist, her case fits the bill. She reported the assault within 24 hours, didn’t succumb to the threats, took the legal route and has been fighting her case since 5 years. So the conclusion of this case is going to define the Me Too movement of India, at least for me.
Another factor to consider is she is rich, famous even, who can afford good quality lawyers and garner public support easily. The survivor is a privileged Indian woman who has all means to a fair trial. Will she get justice? If she doesn’t, what are the chances for a less privileged woman?
The trauma of that one day can last a lifetime, she has been living it and more since 5 years. Her resilience despite all of this is admirable. She is a superhero, because that kind of courage makes anyone a superhero. I don’t know what conclusion this case would have. I am not going to be the judge. But I hope she always has this strength and courage in life. I hope she wears that superhero cape of bravery proudly. I hope her loved ones, friends and colleagues who stood by her become great role models for the society. I hope we have a better tomorrow.
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