Love in the Time of Patriarchy

Shubhra Gupta with the audience

The Delhi screening of director Rahul Dahiya’s G Kutta Se, as part of the Indian Express Film Club in association with the Habitat Film Club, held at India Habitat Centre, on September 25, saw a packed hall and an enthusiastic audience. The film, which is the filmmaker’s directorial debut, is set in a village not too far from the urban sprawl of Delhi. It presents the nerve-shattering reality of a traditional patriarchal society, and the consequences of those who follow their heart.

The Indian Express film critic Shubhra Gupta opened the post-screening discussion by highlighting the language and locale that forms the backdrop of the film, which she said was a “microcosm of the world. But it is an empathetic movie, because it shows how the characters are conditioned into behaving the way they do.”

Dahiya, who was present at the screening said that every incident in the movie was based on real life, including the central murder. He recalled a person he knew in his village, a girl whom he had known from school. One day, as he returned from college, his mother informed him that she had died. Her family had killed her, and then they had propped her body on a bullock cart and brought her back home, as if she was still alive. That image stayed with him.

The portrayal of women and the oppressive social structure under which they live and cope found many admirers in the audience, who could see that despite the fear of honour killings and misogyny, women still continued to love, throwing caution to the wind.