Bhopal, the city famous for its contribution to theatre, is creating frenzy on several internet platforms. A short film Stripped, with as many as 325,654 views on YouTube has gone viral. The film based on visual sexual harassment, features a girl who is being ‘virtually stripped’ by men on the streets, office, public transport and at a bus stop, right from the moment she steps out of her house to the time she reaches back, all harassed and depressed.
Written and directed by Srivinay Salian, the film constitutes of cast and crew from Bhopal and has been produced by Virendra Rathore under the banner of Joinfilms.com. The film has been shot at various locations across Bhopal.
“The film is just an attempt to let perverted people know, how a girl or a woman feels when they ogle at them. There is no girl who is spared, whether on the streets or in offices. Men do not think what a girl goes through. I recommend every man to watch this film,” says Virendra Rathore.
“In a conversation, with a female friend of mine, we ended up discussing perversion and men’s inclination to indulge in it. She put forward her argument based on her personal experiences and in the process shared how a woman feels. That thought stayed with me long after our conversation. That was when the thought occurred, what if the women were not vocal about it, but the men could see with their own eyes the repercussions of their actions. Words, especially in the matters of righteousness, don’t usually have the same impact as the audio visual medium. History is full of examples, where filmmakers have managed to shape the mindset of society through their work. This was my humble effort in that direction,” says director Srivinay Salian.
A man is bound to be attracted towards a woman. And as long as that attraction is expressed gracefully, there’s no harm in it. But the moment a woman expresses a discomfort, the man is obligated to refrain from further indulging in his whims and fancies.
“Stripped was conceived as a public awareness short film. It was originally meant to be a silent film as the focus was to put the thoughts of the woman outside for the man to see and contemplate. But, to make sure the message was not lost, some dialogues were added. Contrary to popular belief, ogling is still a common occurrence and there are women, who still get disturbed by it. I can say this because, I have been a witness to it,” elucidates Salian.
The film, produced under the banner of Bhopal-based venture Joinfilms, features actors Christine, Sanjay Mehta, Yardley Pal, Sundeep Sharma, Tushar Barmaiya, Lokendra Pratap Singh, Nadeem Khan, Vikas Sharma and Waseem from the city.
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