With just a day to go for its release, Ranbir Kapoor's film Sanju is already sparking some controversy.
Social activist Gaurav Gulati has filed to the National Commission for Women against the Sanjay Dutt biopic for its problematic portrayal of women, especially sex workers.
“We have received such a complaint and we are forwarding it to the Electronic Media Monitoring Centre to take necessary action,” confirmed NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma.
Speaking to Times of India, Gulati explained why he felt the need to take action: "The reason I have filed a complaint is that the trailer of Sanju itself contains derogatory words for women. I believe the makers should not include demeaning terms as they portray women on-screen."
The scene he refers to is when Anushka Sharma asks Ranbir Kapoor about the number of women he has had physical relationships with, to which he replies, "308 without counting the prostitutes."
While it's true that the dialogue dehumanises sex workers, it's also in keeping with the character's (i.e., Sanjay Dutt's) attitudes towards women. And until the film is released, we won't know if his character and his actions are glorified.
Still, the activist feels the film should have been rated with greater care by the Indian censorboard. "The CBFC members are answerable to as to how they granted it a U/A certificate; children below the age of 12 years can also watch it without parental guidance. I checked that even with such derogatory terms, getting an adult certificate is difficult too. I think the scene should either be removed or muted from the film.”
He also hopes sex workers stand in support of his complaint:
"I am going to seek other remedies if it doesn’t get sorted out before 29th June. No one has come to my support yet, but it was my duty as a social activist to go ahead with the complaint. I believe sex workers should come forth to protest too as it’s their identity being demeaned. And it is important because the movie will be shown worldwide."
Sanju is set to release June 29.
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