Inspired by the resilience shown by victims-turned-anti-acid activists Laxmi Agarwal and Reshma Qureshi, a team of doctors in Kerala has come up with a 14-minute-long film, which aims to motivate acid victims to come out of the shock and ordeal. It also gives prospective accused in acid attacks a stringent warning.
The film Acid, released three weeks ago, has already got several thousands of hits on YouTube.
Dr Sumesh T.P., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Government Medical College, Thrissur, who has acted in the short film, says that his student Dr. Arjun Kartha, a psychiatrist at Government Hospital, Piravom, got the inspiration for making such a film after reading articles on Laxmi Agarwal and Reshma Qureshi, who have successfully taken up the cause of acid victims in India.
Laxmi Agarwal fell victim to an acid attack at the age of 15 by a person called Naeem Khan, 32, whose marriage proposal she had refused. She has done massive social and legal campaigns for the acid victims in India and across the globe. Dr. Sumesh is the male lead in the film, which has an open-ended climax. Ophthalmologist at Nethra Eye Hospital, Irinjalakkuda, Dr. Minu Surdas plays an acid attack victim who overcomes the tragedy and trauma of the attack. The film is written and directed by Dr. Arjun Kartha.
“When Mr. Kartha came up with a storyline, we contacted doctors across Kerala who were interested in acting. We made the short film with the support of technicians who came forward to work for the movie without accepting any remuneration,” said Dr. Sumesh. He also said that even after the law was amended by extending the period of punishment for acid attack convicts to 10 years to life.
Dr. Ravindran C., and Dr. Silpa of Forensic Medicine at Kottayam MCH are the other medicos who have acted in Acid.
