Anubhav Sinha: Violence gets normalised if oppressed accept it

Thappad director Anubhav Sinha stated that disrespectful behaviours toward women are normalised since their minds are conditioned to accept that such behaviours are tolerable in relationships.

Mumbai: Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha has shed light on how a woman's self-respect has been compromised over the ages owing to certain conditioning of the mind in a patriarchal society.

It is with Thappad that the director has brought the focus on a woman's self-respect in a relationship.

Sinha believed that it is not just men but women are also equally responsible for the situation.

In a recent interview with IANS, the 54-year-old actor said: "Somewhere, women are equally responsible for the whole practice of 'adjustment to keep the family united', where the woman has to compromise on several things including self-respect. You see, violence gets normalised if only the oppressed accepts it."

Explaining his point, Sinha said: "If your mind is conditioned as a woman that such disrespectful behaviour is 'chalta hai' in a relationship because she is responsible to maintain it, she will normalise it. She will never raise her voice."

"That is what has happened for ages. In this case, a slap is not only accepted but also perpetrated by women," the filmmaker added.

His latest directorial Thappad, which deals with domestic violence, features Taapsee Pannu in a pivotal role. The film also stars Pavail Gulati, Ratna Pathak Shah, Tanvi Azmi, Dia Mirza, Ram Kapoor and Kumud Mishra in important roles.

The film has hit the silver screens on Friday. It saw a low-key opening collection of Rs 3.07 crore in the domestic market, although garnering positive reviews.

With inputs from IANS.