Pink is our everyday tragedy that never gets old

Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s Pink is essentially common knowledge translated on the big screen with impeccable execution and a near-perfect cast. The film might seem like a product of this era’s concerns over fighting a patriarchal system, but it is as relevant today as it would have been 10 or 20 years ago, and I might sound a little pessimistic, but unfortunately this film will be relevant even a decade from now – sad, but true.

Taapsee Panu is Minal Arora who, at a night-out is molested by Rajveer played by Angad Bedi. Minal files a police complaint against Rajveer only to find herself behind bars courtesy Rajveer’s influential uncle who pulls every string he can to keep his nephew out of jail.

Amitabh Bachchan is steadily convincing as Minal’s lawyer Deepak Sehgal, but the director and the writers couldn’t do justice to his immense talent. 

In one scene, Taapsee Panu is humiliated by a police officer who questions her mingling with strangers and refers to Panu’s friend as being "experienced".

I could hear chuckles and light applause in the theatre. The audience is in sync with the officer, who they think is justified in giving the girls a much needed reality check - if you don’t want to get molested stay away from strangers who escort you to remote locations, drop the rebellious jargon, be practical and stay safe.

The fact that we applaud this line of thought without any introspection or outrage is distressing to say the least.  

On a personal note, as a man born and raised in Delhi, I have witnessed many such incidents at lavish farmhouses in Mehrauli to little rooftop get-togethers in Amar Colony, where Taapsee Panu and her friends reside as tenants in the movie, and ultimately, I stopped attending parties, social events, concerts, especially not with extended groups or crowds. I’ve been in fights, felt responsible, helpless, out of control and then decided to confine myself – a terrible solution to a predicament of conscience.

The most disturbing takeaway from this "tip of the iceberg" of a film is the fact that we, as a society, are comfortable being hypocrites - this story is not confined to Delhi or India, it is a global epidemic. The film is an intimate tragedy and tragedy draws you in like no other genre. In Pink, you can feel the emotions and the helplessness of the characters, all of whom are a product of the system. Watch, introspect, change.