The Family Star Controversy Explained: Why Vijay Deverakonda's 'Rape Threat' Scene is (Rightly) Being Called Out on Social Media!
The Family Star performed poorly at the box office, but in its OTT release on Prime Video has managed to get quite the attention on social media, but for all wrong reasons.
Vijay Deverakonda's The Family Star proved to be a box-office disappointment, leading to its migration to the streaming space just 21 days after its theatrical release. Surprisingly, the Parasuram-directed romantic drama garnered more attention post its Prime Video premiere than during its cinema run. However, this attention wasn't in a positive light. Netizens have been vocal about their criticism of The Family Star for its blatant misogyny, with a particularly controversial scene taking centre stage, where Vijay Deverakonda shoulders much of the blame. The film also features Mrunal Thakur in a leading role. The Family Star Movie Review: Vijay Deverakonda and Mrunal Thakur’s Film Is a Kitschy Celebration of Male Bravado in Garb of a Love Story.
The scene in question depicts Vijay Deverakonda's character Govardhan issuing a menacing threat to a villain, implying a heinous act towards the women in the villain's family. While the word 'rape' isn't explicitly used, the context heavily implies it through dialogue referencing 'men in my family and women in yours' and 'we are fine with open grounds, godowns, sheds...'.
Watch the Scene Below:
The Background to The Scene
The baddie in the scene is a moneylender from whom Govardhan's drunkard elder brother had borrowed lakhs of money. When he doesn't return the cash, the baddie comes to Govardhan's house and behaves badly with his sister-in-law. He tells her that if her husband doesn't repay the loan, then she should offer herself sexually to him.
In response, Govardhan, for reasons best known to him, takes all the women and kids in his family, crams them in a single auto and then drives that auto to the baddie's lair. He then brutally bashes the baddie's goons in front of the little kids, before ending the scene with the aforementioned 'rape' threat.
Why The Scene is Problematic
No matter how depraved the villain is, no one wants the hero of the film to issue rape threats to any woman, even in the villain's family. In a country where nearly 90 rapes are reported daily as of 2022, it is highly irresponsible for a film's protagonist to deliver such dialogue and be portrayed in a glorified mass scene, as depicted in The Family Star. This depiction is deeply problematic and has rightfully drawn criticism following its OTT release. The Family Star: Video of Vijay Deverakonda's Viral 'Rape Threat' Scene Disabled on X on 'Copyright Infringement' Grounds After Film Draws Ire of Netizens.
One viewer expressed their dismay, stating, "The hero issuing a rape threat, and this is considered a mass scene? Have some shame, #Parasuram & @TheDeverakonda." Another commenter questioned, "A hero promoting a rape threat is not acceptable. Why didn't you refuse this, @TheDeverakonda? Individuals such as yourself should uphold dignity and have abstained from such dialogue."
Why Is Vijay Deverakonda Being Singled Out?
Although he gained popularity in Telugu cinema with films like Pelli Choopulu and Dwaraka, Vijay Deverakonda achieved star status in 2017 with Sandeep Reddy Vanga's directorial debut, Arjun Reddy. Despite the film being noted at the time for its display of male toxicity, Arjun Reddy garnered high acclaim from critics for Vanga's direction and Deverakonda's performance. It also became a huge blockbuster at the box office.
However, it was when the film was remade in Bollywood as Kabir Singh in 2019, with Shahid Kapoor in the lead role, that both the original and the remake were called out by critics and feminists for their problematic portrayal of toxic male behaviour. While Shahid Kapoor remained reticent on the topic, both Deverakonda and Vanga defended the films in their subsequent interviews. Vanga proceeded to make Animal with Ranbir Kapoor, which was an even bigger hit but also faced criticism for its on-screen depiction of male toxic behaviour and violence towards female characters. World Famous Lover Movie Review: Vijay Deverakonda, Aishwarya Rajesh Make This Tiresome Arjun Reddy Hangover Somewhat Interesting.
As for Vijay Deverakonda, while his subsequent films didn't reach the same level of notoriety as Arjun Reddy, they still displayed elements of toxic male behaviour or regressive societal attitudes. Films like Liger, Dear Comrade, Kushi, and World Famous Lover featured scenes of problematic male behaviour that often went unaddressed. Sadly, the same can be said for his latest release, The Family Star. The 'rape threat' scene is just one of the many issues depicted in the film, contributing to the glorification of the hero. With Vijay continuing to greenlight such films, which fail to perform at the box office, he has to bear the brunt of the criticism. Maybe next time, he would do a more careful screening of the script and the dialogues.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 27, 2024 09:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).