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| newspaper clipping of Arushi's case via Hindustantimes.com |
On May 16, 2008, Indian televisions and news channels were flooded with the murder of 14-year-old Aarushi Talwar who was a student at the Delhi Public School in Noida, U.P. Although I had been in India at that time and actually in Noida, I was in my early 20s absorbing the sights and smells of India and completely ignorant of the events that were taking place around me. I do, however, have a faint memory of the media circus that took place near Aarushi's home because I had lived in Noida for some time as I had been visiting my relatives there. This case, like many cases in India including the 2012 Delhi Rape case, has been in the court for the past 5 years! Her story has all the elements of a drama: suspicion on the domestic help and parents (both affluent doctors). The prime suspect, Hemraj's body was found on the terrace of the apartment. Most recent development of this disturbing and sensationalized news suggests that it was the parents who were allegedly responsible for the murder of the domestic servant and their young daughter. Their motives in the even recent news report seem unclear.
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| Milan Lutharia |
While the case is still undergoing investigation, Times of India has released an article claiming that filmmaker Milan Lutharia will be undertaking this controversial topic and making it into a film. Lutharia is known to team with Ekta Kapoor and has directed other eye-brow raising films like The Dirty Picture (2011), Once Upon A Time in Mumbai (2010), and other films that are based on the underbelly of the Indian society. While these films especially the Dirty Picture was a biopic on the B-movie South Indian movie star, Silk Smita, Lutharia will be pushing the envelope taking on this controversial case into in his own hands.
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| The Dirty Picture Poster |
Recently, Ekta Kapoor was also compelled to take a step back when Aarushi's mother implemented the National Commission for Protection Against Child Rights Against Balaji Telefilms to prevent Kapoor from airing an episode "inspired" by the case. The episode withheld from airing in 2008 itself (unbelievable, isn't it?)
Manish Gupta's Rahasya was also inspired by this troubling incident. Gupta informs, " "The case gives a classic premise for an Agatha Christie kind of murder mystery, which would keep the audience guessing and hooked. Plus, there's the emotional quotient of the parents being accused of murdering their only daughter, something that the Indian audience has always felt for [my emphasis]."
Gupta, Kapoor, and Lutharia are directors and filmmakers who are known for making controversial films on topics that were otherwise not discussed in the public discourse. In many of their films especially like The Dirty Picture, the events were reconstructed from the life of a "fallen" woman/actress of the 1980s. Her decision to dress in skimpy and revealing clothes and act in more sexual bold and seductive films made her by default a controversial figure in the 1980s. While I was satisfied with the film, I did not find it problematic!
What I do find problematic is that the decision to make a film, although the case itself has yet been concluded (and God knows when it will be?!) provokes the questions of film making. What are the ethics that filmmakers should keep in their mind when they touch on sensitive topics such as Aarushi's case?
Gupa, Kapoor, and Lutharia's decision to make a film inspired by recent events suggest that these directors fetisize violence on women.
Okay, the events of the poor girl's murder case may be like an Agatha Christie novel but what is the motive behind the filmmaker's decision to make the film? Is it to sensationalize violence? I would understand if they decided to make a film documentary on the subject as I believe that documentaries seem to be a more "realistic" medium than a film, which can "dramatize" the events and fictionalize them. There needs to be a law that requires film makers to a duration/period of time before they can jump unto making a controversial fictionalized film that will keep the audiences glued to the seat. At this point, it seems nothing more than a way to make an easy buck but also to further promote violence, which is problematic and troubling.
Secondly, we do not know when the case will end and how the events will turn out. Is it really a story worth telling when the scars of the Aarushi case are still visible and hot for the last 5 years? What if her parents are not guilty of her murder? If they are, what are the motivations? Shouldn't the filmmakers question what is the motivation behind their decision to make a film "inspired" by true events? What message are they sending to the audiences? These questions still remain unanswered and deeply problematic. Something I fear these filmmakers are still not aware of.
Lutharia says in another interview, "We are still doing research on the subject, but as a company, we want to tell Aarushi's story. There's a lot of curiosity and confusion about this case, that has seen several twists and turns. People should be aware about how our system works. We should start the film in about four to five months. It all depends on the final judgement."
These are the questions that plague my mind when I come across news articles such as these. While these filmmakers thus far have made successful films, I hope that this time they are careful and aware of their decision to make a film on a subject that is yet to be resolved. In addition, I hope they respect the poor teen who lost her life in mysterious ways at such a young age.
Sources: timesofindia.com, dnaindia.com,and indianexpress.com
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