RGV’s ‘Savithri’ poster raises many a hackle

Film director Ram Gopal Varma is at it again. In an apparent bid to capture eyeballs for his latest Telugu flick ‘Savithri’, the film maker released posters revealing the first look of the film, which raised hackles of women in general, women organisations and social and civil rights’ activists alike.

The posters portray a young boy, barely in his teens, ogling at the near bare mid-riff of a sari-clad woman. “Ram Gopal Varma is known for creating a commotion before the release of his films. His films have nothing to do with sanity. He adopts short-cuts to promote his films and loves to be in the limelight even if they have negative connotations. He has proved time and again that he has no social responsibility,” said film-maker C. Umamaheswara Rao.

“Perversion, thy name is Ram Gopal Varma. One cannot expect anything sensible or better than such ‘B’ or ‘C’ grade stuff from a film-maker like Varma,” said Sujatha C. of Future All Media, Vijayawada.

RGV’s film comes at a time when the degrading trend of ‘objectification’ of woman’s body is at its peak in cinema. “At a time when the nation is debating increasing the juvenile delinquency age, RGV seems to be going all out to promote juvenile crime rate,” says Munjuluri Krishna Kumari, Assistant Station Director, All-India Radio, Vijayawada.

As if portrayal of the woman as a ‘sex object’ is not enough, the ‘Mee Savithri Evaru’ campaign kicked off by the film makers has only added to the public anger. “The film maker seeks to be completely out of sync with morality and ethics,” said Manohar, a student activist.

The controversy has another side to it. People who revel in viewing such obscene stuff are equally blamed. “We have been doing it right from Choli ke peeche kya hai. We had a choice to disapprove such films by rejecting them. We don’t cringe any more looking at little kids gyrating to Sheela ki jawani…then why blame RGV alone,” says L. Swathi, a homemaker.

Copyright: thehindu.com