“Rape is one of the most prevalent and ugly forms of crimes against women in Pakistan.
“Rape is one of the most prevalent and ugly forms of crimes against women in Pakistan. Although the women’s movement has tried to grapple with this scourge and worked with the law makers as well as the law enforcing agencies, the mindset of the society remains the biggest challenge that needs to be tackled.
According to Human Rights Commission of Pakistan one woman is raped in Pakistan every two hours. Globally Pakistan has been ranked third from the bottom as the most dangerous country for women in the world. A substantive push is needed to show clearly how rape is used as a tool by powerful in the society to humiliate and invoke fear among the vulnerable. All this happens in the context of patriarchy where the bodies of women have become the battle ground for men to fight their battles of honor, power and revenge.
Smaller initiatives like awareness seminars, television shows or NGO activity has not proved to make any headway in changing the mindset. Our law is now in place. A mega initiative is needed to jolt the society out of this frame of mind. Every sector of the society needs to take on the responsibility to shift the current mindset and the law enforcing system to start working.
With the thought that a feature film on this sensitive issue can make more impact than years of struggle through smaller interventions on TV or by NGOs, I have made this effort and named it Verna. I have chained all my three films together since all deal with women empowerment... ‘Khuda Kay Liye Bol Verna’. I sincerely hope it will not only spark off the process of shifting people’s patriarchal mindsets but will rejuvenate the movement against this crime. Most of all I hope that it will at least make women reflect that rape does not rob them of ‘honor’, it is something they earn and no one can snatch it away from them.
Film to me is an art form like poetry. Many may not agree with me but I believe in giving art some meaning. All over the world poetry done with some deeper meanings and ideology has always lived longer. Whether my films pass for being artistic or not may rightly be questionable but they do reflect my beliefs and conscience. Things happening around me bother and hence I am forced by my conscience to take them on. My films reflect the anger that I feel on social injustice of all forms. So every time I am about to embark on a film it is my anger that drives my movement of thoughts not the hunger for success and money. It doesn’t mean that I have a thing against films based on pure entertainment. Not at all. By all means they should be made and succeed and I have all the due respect for their makers. I am happy at the recent success of Punjab Nahi Jaungi and Na Maloom Afraad 2 and wish success to all other that are in line to hit the screen. We need these films to rejuvenate the industry in our country. But we also need some to say something thought provoking. I hope I am provoking some thought.”
– Shoaib Mansoor
