Tamil Stars Embrace Vigilante Justice Against Rapists in Recent Films
It may be a mere coincidence, but Tamil superstars like Rajinikanth, Vijay Sethupathi, and Dhanush tackled similar themes in their latest releases. If Rajinikanth shoots down a rapist in ‘Vettaiyan’, Vijay Sethupathi goes on a killing spree to avenge the rape of his daughter in ‘Maharaja’. Dhanush turns a vigilante and ensures the death of a rapist in ‘Raayan’. "Tamil heroes fighting for a social cause in not new and they have punished or killed corrupt people, gangsters, smugglers and evil feudal lords and so on,“ says director Hemanth Madhukar and adds, “But heinous crime rape is relevant even today that is why few Tamil stars have done these movies back to back, though not intentionally. They were watched by Telugu viewers in big numbers.”
He cites the recent example of a junior doctor who was raped and murdered in a Kolkatta hospital which shook the entire nation. “This heinous crime triggered protests all over India and girls demanded immediate punishment. Sometimes, we also feel that such brutal rapists should be killed and punished instantly for their ruthless and inhuman acts. But it is not possible in real life since laws take their own time,” he points out and adds, “When encounter specialist Rajnikanth shoots down a rapist in the movie, it is bound to upscale his heroism. Similarly, when the victim herself chops the head of a rapist in ‘Raayan’, while Vijay Sethupathi goes on a killing spree and brutally kills a few rapists of his young daughter in ‘Maharaja’, the audience connects to their pain and anguish, They overlook the gore and brutality because it could work as a deter to people in real-life to avoid committing such crimes’ adds Hemanth Madhukar.
He reminds us the movies like Kamal Haasan’s Tamil film ‘Mahanadhi’ and Amitabh Bachchan's Hindi film ‘Akhree Raashta’ as the heroes turn vigilantes to avenge the rape of their kin. “I wish rape victims count reduced completely in real-life and make the world safe for women, otherwise films will be made and rapists would be ruthlessly punished on screen, away from the court of law,’ he concludes.