Perhaps you all would remember having read about this unique newspaper item some years ago when a bride left her in-law's place just after marriage because there was no toilet in that house. Her name was Priyanka Bharti. One could only imagine how difficult it would have been for her to be the outcast, to defy the social compulsions in that overwhelmingly conservative set up and to stand up against the ubiquitous indifference to right to dignity. That one act of valor has inspired thousands of girls and women across the country to speak out loud against the prevailing beliefs supporting open defecation.
Priyanka Bharti was later felicitated by Sulabh International which also helped in the construction of a toilet at her in-law's place.
Inspired by these events, we finally have a feature film "
Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (TEPK)" now showing across the country ensuring that the inspirational resolve of that iron lady in propagated to all the nook and corners of the nation. We, the IAS batch of 2015, were fortunate to be around in the capitol for the premier show of this movie also attended by the cast of the movie. In the inaugural comments, I really liked one thing that Akshay Kumar emphasized strongly. He said and I quote, "I do not care what money this film makes but I really want this movie to be seen by all the people in all the villages and other rural areas. It is only during the making that I came across the troubles of these women for a thing which is so trivial to us".
When I first saw the trailer of this movie, there were several pointers which had gushed in. It would certainly be an arduous task to pull in the urban audience for whom the availability of a toilet is sort of granted. They do not see it as something worth of debating leave aside making a movie out of it. Moreover, this section seemed much amused with the title of the film. The real impact of such a feature would only be in the rural areas which still is not that much into the institution of weekend movie outings fueled by popcorn and aerated artificially sweetened drinks. The other challenge perhaps would be screenplay as it would always revolve around that one watershed moment of truth.
But as it turns out, the movie is an all out entertainer and not simply a documentary depicting the rebellious acts of a women single-handedly taking on the archaic shackles of the society restricting one to construct toilets at home in the name of purity. Bhumi Pednekar's portrayal of
Jaya, a spirited young girl from a village, is exceedingly real and persuasive. The resolve to continue her fight at the cost of jeopardizing her personal equations is evident in her body language. And, of course people are talking about the
kind of weight she has lost, so much so that what is trending these days in diet circles is #LoseItLikeBhumi.
The bro-duo of Akshay Kumar and Divyendu Sharma is electrically comic at times. And that perhaps helps to make a case for an entertaining start as it is paramount that you win the hearts first in order to successfully pass on relevant
gyan later. On that note, I must mention movies like 3 Idiots, Lage raho Munna Bhai etc who had a deep and ultra relevant social message to convey to the people but at the same time they ensured that the same is wrapped beautifully in a hilarious cover up. Same is the case with TEPK.
Another gem of a performance is by Sudhir Pandey who plays the deeply orthodox father who would not let his aging son marry for the want of a girl who must have two thumbs on one particular hand. The concreteness of ritualism and the undying faith in the customs is categorically evident in his protruding eyeballs. The enduring tussle between his ingrained belief and the prospective customary dereliction by his son is more than apparent in his evolving and frustratingly difficult demeanor. Through him, the director Shree Narayan Singh brings home an important point. He is unable to empathize with the predicament faced by his daughter-in-law and by women in general but when circumstances corner his mother, it hits him hard. One only realizes the immense power of gravity when one takes the free fall himself/herself. A very fundamental flaw with most of us.
Some people would surely feel that the lath-mar Holi sequences and the whole love establishment efforts were unnecessary and uncalled for. At this juncture, one must ponder upon the unyielding idea of monolithic story telling to find the obvious answers. Taking all that together, I feel it is a very balanced and entertaining approach to convey a quintessential point regarding sanitation. The movie takes into account the various stigmas pertaining to sanitation and takes them down head on.From my experiences in the field, I am sure it would act as that medium to quench the thirst of ritualistic sections opposing the idea of toilets at home. It would also motivate thousands of women and girls to raise their voices in unison who are forced to go out in those wee hours to relieve themselves. We must ensure that all those
Baujis get a chance to watch this path-setting tale of a determined
Bahu.
In times when the tide of Swacha Bharat Abhiyaan is making a great impact on the shore of our civilization, TEPK is an important wave we mustn't dodge.
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