EXCLUSIVE: Raveena Tandon on women safety- Nirbhaya's accused should have been given harsh punishment not a sewing machine
Raveena Tandon calls out the government for their lackadaisical approach to women safety, speaks about Nirbhaya case.
Raveena Tandon is all set to make her silver screen comeback with her upcoming movie Maatr wherein she will be seen playing the role of a strong-willed mother filled with vengeance.
The movie aims to show the grim state of women safety in the country, especially when it comes to delivering justice for a heinous crime such as rape. The movie follows the life of a mother who is forced to take justice into her own hands after the society and the judiciary fail to provide her justice for her daughter. She is out there to take revenge from the criminals who destroyed her daughter's life. They are powerful, capable of doing anything but here is a mother standing up against all of them in her quest for justice.
Just like her onscreen avatar, the actor is known for not mincing her words off screen as well. Lashing out at the government for failing to ensure women safety, Raveena in an exclusive interview to Pinkvilla said, "I do believe that our system actually does not provide the justice that is meant to be given for horrific crimes like this[rape]."
She further shared a heart-wrenching anecdote from her conversation with Nirbhaya's mother and it will well up tears into your eyes. "I met Nirbhaya's mother during an event and believe me two years down the line, her tears haven't dried up, she said while adding, "These are exactly her words she said 4 days is what happens, the first day the press and everyone covers it, second there will be panel discussion, the third day candle light marches and fourth day politicians coming offering compensations and the fifth day it is back to business and everyone's forgotten the incident. So what happened to her? The rapist is scout free, he is walking free and what happened to Nirbhaya's family. They are the one living a difficult life."
Further, she called out the government for failing to provide justice to Nirbhaya's parent and said, "As far as I am concerned that 17 years old who raped [Nirbhaya] could very well pay for his crimes, could have been given a harsh sentence because for me what that person did was not a normal person would do. He was a sadist psychopath, he should have been given psychiatrist ward first rather than rewarded a sewing machine and incentive. That was the worst of all that was done by the Govt. Laws need to be changed to be able to relate to the times we are living in."
Going further, she clarified that the film does not in anyway endorse taking law in the hands. "Though in this film what we are showing is just a fiction, just a story but tomorrow it can become someone's reality. In fact, I would like to say that I do not condone taking laws into their own hands. This is not we are trying to promote. We are trying to send across a message that it's time to act and rise and become a voice."
Written by Michael Pellico, Maatr also features Divya Jagdale, Anurag Arora in pivotal roles. The movie has been directed by Ashtar Sayed and is set to hit the theatres on April 21, 2017.