HYDERABAD: Deepika Narayan Bharadwaj’s documentary ‘Martyrs Of Marriage’ brings to light the misuse of Section 498 A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) began with the movie’s “heavily empathised martyr” Makhdoom’s tragic story. The 90-minute film that was screened at Hari Hara Kala Bhawan in Secunderabad on Sunday mourns many more Makhdooms who it claims were compelled to live a gloomy life as a consequence of their wives’ false allegations that not only shattered them emotionally but also affected their family’s reputation.
In the film, Deepika a self styled mens’ rights activist appears to have made her point through her case studies and various legal experts’ opinions validating “the prevalent misuse of the law.” The film showcases many victimised husbands whose stories are similar--a son forcibly separated from them by their partner who is their destroyer, a blackmailer, a bully and what gave these women the right to be everything which is just not acceptable or human is an Act which “despite bearing such ghastly impact on the lives of many men” has a poor conviction record.
What the film went on to prove seeking credibility through the opinions of known personalities like Madhu Kishwar from (Centre for the Study of Developing Societies) CSDS and Swarup Sarkar, a men’s right activist is that the exploitation of men in the name of the Act is not just a matter of a few cases but a suppressed social evil. It claims that of over 14.2 lakh men tried under the law, over 11.5 lakh were not found guilty of the alleged crime by the court. However, it was so determined to bring the murky picture of atrocities suffered by women to such an extent that a lawyer saying “as many as 99% of the cases filed under IPC 498 A are false and women are not even apologetic about the fact” is also blazed and flashed as an eyeopening disclosure in the film.
When the director was asked about why she never felt like doing away with so much drama in the film, the director answered that she wanted to touch every aspect as all of this has been happening for real at such a large level.