JioHotstar's latest social drama Chiraiya has sparked an important dialogue about marital rape in a country where it's not even considered a criminal offence.
The show is led by Pooja (Prasanna Bisht) and Kamlesh (Divya Dutta) who play sisters-in-law. Although many applauded the makers to shed light on an important subject like marital rape, surprisingly a few have been offended by it, saying it's nothing but anti-men propaganda. Bisht reacted these comments. Here's what's she says:
'Chiraiya' actor Prasanna Bisht reacts to those saying her show is anti-men propaganda
Credit: SVF Entertainment
Prasanna Bisht, who headlined Shashant Shah's Chiraiya recently condemned those who said that the show is 'anti-men propaganda'. She said that it highlights the importance of consent and helps empower women to have more agency over their bodies. She said that those who misconstrued it as an "anti-men show" need to educate themselves and work on their emotional intelligence.
She said, "With time, Nature changes, weather changes, so we need to change too. It is high time we start listening because it is not happening. People need to change their thinking. The show is all about explaining that a woman's body belongs to the woman and what the meaning of consent is, that's all. If you think that is propaganda, then it's extremely funny and sad. Whoever is saying that they should educate themselves more and start growing their emotional intelligence first and start listening."
Bisht also said that on the contrary, the show depicts two types of men - the good ones as well as bad. She asked why viewers are not talking about Vinay and only focusing on what Arun did.
She added, "Sometimes you are so blinded by so many beliefs that are not working in your favour that you just don't want to disillusion yourself. Why are people not talking about Vinay? I'm surprised. Why are people not talking about how he tackled the situation? Why are people not talking about how he supported his wife? How he's a real man with good values. They're only talking about what Arun did and how the show portrays men. That's not true. We have the entire contrast shown in the show. They need to open their eyes, open their minds, open their hearts, so that they can understand basic human things."
Credit: SVF Entertainment
The actor also said that the plot of the show is a reality for many women in India. She said that almost every woman she has interacted with in her life has been violated in some way or the other.
She said, "The women I know and have spoken to, almost everyone has experienced this in their lives. I myself have experienced where people have challenged my dignity so many times and tried to cross their boundaries, just because they think they can."
Prasanna also raised an important issue of how people judge victims who don't instantly react to such incidents. She says that it's not easy for everyone to raise their voice. She added that often victims question the validity of these incidents and wonder if they really should speak up.
She said, "People think that 'oh, just because she's a working woman, she's well-educated, why is she not able to take a stand for herself?' They don't understand what happens when personal emotions, when personal relationships get involved. The upbringing in our society is such that it puts expectations and can limit you. This is a generational upbringing that women should be this way. We start questioning things like, 'did we do something wrong? Did we make a mistake?' Before raising our voice, let me understand what exactly happened, so that I don't say anything wrong, so that the relationship doesn't get ruined. It's very difficult for women to understand themselves. It was difficult for me to understand what was wrong and what was right."
About 'Chiraiya'
Credit: SVF Entertainment
Created by Divy Nidhi Sharma, Chiraiya is a social drama that follows a new bride Pooja who fights for autonomy over her body in a family that values honour over anything else. After becoming a victim of marital rape, Pooja finds herself suffocating under familial and societal pressure while exposing the myth of implied consent after marriage.
The show stars Divya Dutta, Sanjay Mishra, Siddharth Shaw and Prasanna Bisht in key roles.
Social and lead images credits: SVF Entertainment