For some odd reason, yesterday I decided to watch a throw back movie I have had in my phone for over a year now. I was attracted by the lead actress which made me to download the movie after I came across it on #Youtube but I wasn't chanced to watch it and soon, I forgot about the movie until yesterday afternoon. Little did I know that I was in for a pleasant ride. The movie in question is titled Provoked and it was set based on the real life story of a Punjabi woman namedd Kiranjit Ahluwalia played by Aishwarya Rai. The movie was released in the year 2006 and it is a biographical drama film.
Synopsis
Kiranjit Ahluwalia was born the 9th child of a Punjabi family. After agreeing to an arranged marriage to UK based Punjabi man named Deepak, her life took on a whole new turn. Initially, their marriage was blissful but over time, the true colours of Deepak surfaced turning Karinjit's life into a nightmare. For ten years, she endured physical and emotional abuse and batterings from Deepak. Add that to his cheating and money squandering. All of these, were endured by Kiranjit, who upholds her cultural values of being silent and persevering more than her own personal liberty and safety.
One day, after a heated argument where Deepak almost burnt her face with a pressing iron, she made up her mind to set herself free. It is said that "when a pot is left to boil and boil for a long time it will soon topple over out of provocation". This was exactly Kiranjit's fate. That night, she set fire to her husband while he slept and he was rushed to the hospital but after some days, he passed away. The case turned from manslaughter to murder in a matter of days. If not for the timely assistance of an NGO named "Southall black sisters" who intervened, she would have spent the rest of her life in Prison but after the appeal based on provocation, she was set free after spending 3 years and some months in prison. She was happy to be out and free and to be able to raise her two sons. She also advised mothers to teach their sons to treat women with respect.
My review
It is not easy to replay the character of someone else's story. If it were fictitious,then that would be not too tasking but playing out the character of someone still alive, then you need top skills. Which was what Aishwarya portrayed in the movie. She acted out her character so well it was believable. As a viewer, I could feel all of the emotions that was being passed across. The blend of Asia and European characters were also good and the sarcasm from her fellow inmates in the movie lightened the tension.
I must commend the way the plot climax carried through. From the beginning to the end, I stayed glued to my seat as I didn't want to miss anything. Most of all was the message being passed across. It resonates deeply now as it did then. "There is no honour in silence". No woman deserves to be battered in the hands of anyone not just their husbands. No women's dignity should be trampled upon by a man and no woman passing through any form of abuse should stay silent. It kills!
I rate the movie an 8/10.
Thank you all for reading...Shalom
Images are screenshots from the movie.
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