We are nearing the end of 2019. So, is it too much to ask Bollywood to stop churning sexist movies in the name of entertainment? We saw Kabir Singh and how much flak it drew for toxic masculinity, and many argued that the recent Houseful 4 is filled with rampant sexism and contains female characters who add almost nothing to the narrative.
While none of such movies is “okay”, we still accept it, and sometimes even forgive it, considering it is a product of years of patriarchal conditioning by society at large. However, the line is crossed when extremely sensitive issues like rape are made fun of. People believe this line was crossed by Pati Patni Aur Woh.
The trailer for Pati Patni Aur Woh starring Kartik Aaryan, Bhumi Pednekar, and Ananya Panday in the lead dropped on the internet recently and has sparked massive outrage online. The basic storyline is similar to the original 1978 version – man and woman fall in love, man gets a promotion, meets another attractive woman, has his fare shot at infidelity, the wife finds out, and you know how the rest goes.
However, one particular dialogue by the ‘Pati’, played by Kartik Aaryan, goes like this:
“Biwi se sex maang lein, toh hum bhikaari. Biwi ko sex mana kar dein, toh hum atyachaari aur kisi tarah jugaad laga ke uss se sex haasil kar lein na toh balaatkaari bhi hum hain.”
So here are the many things wrong with this one dialogue which has managed to destroy the collective calm of the internet:
1. It completely disregards a woman’s consent in having sex.
2. It makes a complete joke out of a significant and sensitive issue like marital rape.
3. It victim-shames and sides with the rapist.
Watch the trailer here:
People took to Twitter to express their anger and disappointment at the trailer and how it promotes misogyny to a toxic extent. They also mentioned how the successful launch of such movies only takes the country back a few steps while many are fighting for the rights of women.
Currently writing a paper on marital rape in India & having just seen the Pati Patni Aur Woh trailer, Kartik Aryan should be so very ashamed of this bullshit. We're trying to change the legislation & mindset & this dumbass is casually saying stuff like that onscreen. Fuck you.
— houseplant with complex emotions 🌿 (@rishitic) November 4, 2019
How tf does Karthik Aaryan get away each time? In the trailer of Pati, Patni aur Woh, he literally "jokes" about marital rape? How. The Fuck.
— showmethe⁷ (@brokebyesexual) November 4, 2019
Did the monologue in the trailer of #PatiPatniAurWoh seriously just defend marital rape???? 🤔
— Antara Lahiri (@AntaraLahiri) November 4, 2019
"Biwi se sex maang lein toh hum bikhaari
Biwi ko sex na de toh hum atyachaari
Aur kisi tarah jugaad laga ke usse sex haasil kar lena toh balaatkari bhi hum hai"I don't expect anything from a Kartik Aaryan movie but this is dismal https://t.co/q61BFOmD38
— Shreemi Verma (@shreemiverma) November 4, 2019
If "kisi tarah se jugaad laga ke usse / biwi se sex haasil kar le" is not the definition of marital rape, then I don't know what is. #PatiPatniAurWohTrailerhttps://t.co/h6iO8aDEpl
— Dishwasher (@TintzS) November 5, 2019
#PatiPatniAurWohTrailer
Insensitive joke about marital rape, what on Earth is Bollywood doing? Fun facts- the producer is a woman and one of the actresses in the film recently did a great movie like #SaandKiAankh. @TheAaryanKartik @bhumipednekar https://t.co/jXIdHe9WX0— Annapoorna P K (@hippo_campy) November 5, 2019
This misogyny needs to end! A woman's power to consent is not something to joke about and what makes it worse is that 20-something year olds are being part of such projects. #PatiPatniAurWoh #Hindifilmindustry #MaritalRape
— Raahat Manrai (@RaahatManrai) November 4, 2019
Saw trailer of #PatiPatniAurWoh and what a shameful statement what says that "Rape" is a "Jugad Sex"
Utterly disgraced by this dialogue and atleast didn't expect this from @TheAaryanKartik .— No One And 1,718 Others. (@Cric_Freaky) November 4, 2019
#PatiPatniAurWoh trailer is just so wrong.Ananya seems too young for the role.The jokes are crass & sexist.Women are being degraded as if it is perfectly normal.Nothing but stupid old Bollywood.They never learn.
— I am NOT a boy (@ishab26) November 4, 2019
Do any of you understand the gravity of marital rape? And that people have been fighting to have it criminalised in India? And adding this sort of pathetic humour to our discourse is problematic? Has ONE PERSON thought this through?
— Ritika Grover (@groveritika) November 4, 2019
Someone please tell Juno Chopra that it's 2019 and rape jokes are unacceptable.@TheAaryanKartik how did you agree to that dialogue? @Aparshakti @ananyapandayy @bhumipednekar @TSeries #PatiPatniAurWoh is same old Govinda crap being reheated and sold to us… shameful!!
— Rupali (@KrazyGal92) November 4, 2019
At 1.17, @TheAaryanKartik's character laments how "kisi tarah jugad laga sex hasil karne se" 'poor' men are labelled as rapists.
Reducing consent & #MeToo to a joke, this is film making?
Shame on you, @TheAaryanKartik & makers of #PatiPatniAurWoh !https://t.co/TbzcX13SGH
— Shreya Teresita (@ShreyaTeresita) November 4, 2019
i don't even want to watch this movie after seeing the number of sexist dialogues shown in the trailer #PatiPatniAurWoh
— molotov cocktail (@prettyandsadtbh) November 4, 2019
According to a report by NDTV, Bhumi Pednekar in an interview had said:
“The story is very empowering to both genders. I think that the makers made sure that this does not turn into a sexist, baseless film. I do not think anyone who is part of this film, including us actors, belong to that school. We were extremely conscious of the fact that we do not end up making it into a sexist comment.”
What the actress claimed evidently stands in stark contrast with the reality of the film.
While the movie’s reception isn’t off to a good start, we cannot say anything for certain until the movie actually releases. Guess we just have to wait and watch!