Kiranjit, I completely support u on what u did at the end. While watching Provoked, my wife uttered one thing couple of times
' Why did she take all this for TEN YEARS', I think rather than waiting for ten years and killing him she should have left the home. You don't need to kill some one to get freedom.
I think she has a point too.
Suicides and killings can be a last resort but never the only and initial resort.
If you see anything like this happening around you, please help the person. Some times leaving is better than living together.
Having said so much, my sympathies are with Kiran ji for the pain and curse she had to go through.
Kiranjit Ahluwalia has gone through hell and out of hell even though she was hurt badly in the process only to set a strong, living example for victims of domestic abuse. Because she is a fantastic human being, she could survive the most dreaded impact of the psycho-demonic beast like creature called 'deepak' who deserves to be constantly burnt and never to be spared even in hell!. This reminds of a hollywood movie called "Sleeping with the enemy" the male experience extreme psycho-demonic(factful, not religious) behaviors on and off when he begins attacking their "rightfully captured victims" called 'wife'!. Both commit manslaughter as defense but the difference is 'Provoked' is chillingly real story. I hope Kiranjit-ji will continue to persuade victims to blow up their "entangled barbed-wire bullshit" called "traditional family honor" or nonsenses like "family respect" and so on which has absolutely has no value and place and when comes to such situations of life and death! What would Kiranjit-ji be credited with in turn ? Like most other like-minded and sane people, I strongly feel and wish a common immediate feeling that Kiranjit-ji must live a life filled with respect, honor, grace and everlasting support from the large communities people who can now recognize her with their own lives.
One can not know the truth by watching some movie or reading autobiography. Kiranjit was suffering but she stayed with her husband for 10 years. I just read her interview and she herself confessed that her husband was suffering from split personality%u2026.he was a good father and worked overnights for family. ( http://www.stophonourkillings.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1490) I believe he was a psychopath and needed attention and treatment. For the sake of Humanity do not justify murder as a perfect step to end suffering, because her husband was mentally ill and deserved psychiatrist not death. Media and so called women organizations portray her as a courageous lady for votes and money. I believe it is the issue of two psychopaths..one who was physically and mentally suffered for 10 years and murdered the other The other was suffered in childhood (may be by his mother, because this kinds of psychopaths have a bad abused childhoods from which they develop hate towards woman). Hence it has nothing to do with a culture. Its a tragedy.
Recently happened to watch a Psycho analysis in discovery channel and the study reveals that people(man or women) who endure violence, who helplessly make their dependants victims, or who end up in suicide or murder are people of quite low Intelligence Quotient(IQ). I am a woman and I stand firmly against Domestic Violence, irrespective of whether the victim is a man, woman or a baby. But please donot raise your voices in support of a murderer. All we can do is sympathize with her situation. Had she worked hard enough to pull herself out of the abuse she wouldnot have ended up in Jail, or made to distance herself away from her kids. She could have been physically weak to take abuse, but what happened to her mental strength,whatever be the era she belonged? Obviously she had a low IQ, that forced her succumb to her husband's brutality, made her insane and eventually a murderer. Most autobiographies are made for self-defence. Therez always a shade of grey between black and white. We wouldn't know that grey shade of Kiranjit coz we don't know her personally. So lets end all these man-woman fight.
RE:IQ Disorder
by subu pathak on Apr 21, 2007 01:24 AM
its really sad to read your review about Kiranjit, well what she did was ok and i think whosoever in her position would have done that. Its not easy life in a foreign land for a woman who comes from a traditional background. it has nothing to do with IQ thing. Its easy to comment but when u will live her life for only one day then next day you would like to kill that man. on one point i agree with u man must stand up again domestic violence so everyone should have courage say word against it. Its is our social and moral duty to help people. Hope u will understand. Its a free world so everyone has their say of opinion but always take positive and good things.
RE:IQ Disorder
by khushi on Apr 17, 2007 02:09 PM
Pity yopur IQ mahjabeen , think of the lady in a foreign country abused by her husbadn what can she do. In india upteen no of women go through all this quietly do all of them have low IQ . I am sure you are also going through all this who raises a voice. Laud kiranjit for killing her huisband how many of us have this strength,
RE:RE:IQ Disorder
by Lawrence Sebastian on Sep 03, 2007 04:34 PM
You seem to sound like a Psycho yourself!!.. Be in her shoes for a second in that treacherous 10 year hell!.. Don't dare comment nonsense when well goddamn don't know a goddamn thing about whats going on in a dreaded psychopath's mind.. Think that u r one bloody lucky creature to type out some crap like this in your warm, cozy corner and just get away with it.!! I curse you to experience it first.. then you won't live to write your experiences because you would have committed suicide by the time it could all just begin!!!.
RE:IQ Disorder
by on Apr 07, 2007 12:00 PM
Woman I work for a non-profit that helps women in crisis and conflict and low IQ has nothing to do with it. We have everyone from rural to educated women be it engineers or doctors who fall victim to this. It has to do with the cycle of violence and cultural upbringing. Non-violence needs to be internalized. Maybe you should have watched the entire discovery episode to get your IQ up....
RE:IQ Disorder
by Siddhu Warrier on Apr 07, 2007 11:29 PM
You should be ashamed of yourself for having made a comment like that.
Okay, she decides to get out. But she isn't in India, and does not speak the language. If she runs out of the house, do you think she would even know which bus to take to get wherever she wanted to? Do you think she could have told the cops what this monster was doing to her.
This woman was driven to murder because of serious deficiencies in what we pride ourselves upon - 'our culture'! :P
RE:IQ Disorder
by on Oct 01, 2007 04:33 AM
Its very easy to judge people. I bet in hindsight Kiran herself can come up with a millionways she could avoid the tragedy. Put yourself in the perspective of where she was, what she knew, what her upbringing was and on top of it add teh confusion of a girl who does not understand if teh man loves her, hates her and just because she loves the guy she tries to justify his behavior. A woman is complicated. I can see it happen without a doubt for 10yrs. I went through it for an year myself. Agreed I did not end up killing the guy. I actually tried to make it work, hoped he was depressed tried to get psychiatric help and I am an engineer and have a job and am independent and yet try to stick withthe person because of the love. You talk abotu the guy needing a psychiatrist...DO YOU THINK THESE GUYS WIL WILLINGLY GO WITH YOU TO SEE A PSYCHIATRIST???? HELL NO. They will abuse mroe just for suggesting it. And super intelligent abusers like my husband will try to justify their behavior. My husband actually went through tons of Psychiatic case files to justify his behavior and put the blame on me. This after he threw me down and kicked me in my stomach, head and pelvis. AND there is no way out with abusive men. They will chase you, threaten to hunt you down, abuse your parents, bring DISGRACE to your families...hell life is a hell for these women. Ten years of that is inhuman. My heartfelt sympathies to Kiran. Having said that I bet there are civilized ways to get out
RE:IQ Disorder
by ksheersagar rajesh on Apr 07, 2007 03:31 AM
Mahjabeen Bharadwaj, It shows clearly that you have lowest IQ to judge Kiranjit like this. If you were in her position, you'd have killed Deepak in less than 5 years, I'm sure about that. Try to use your whatever left IQ before commenting on a helpless, devastated woman.
RE:IQ Disorder
by Lawrence Novva on Sep 03, 2007 04:55 PM
Well said!!.. Rajesh.. It is so difficult to believe that people support the "devil" even after they fully sense the full impact of the "devil" itself!!.. No need for IQ check.. Mahjabeen Bharadwaj is the "devil" itself. Mahjabeen Bharadwaj can actually be motivating others to slowly spread the seeds of violent domestic abuse among good and vulnerable Indian families!
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When is enough really enough?
In love, never. In abuse, immediately.
Domestic violence evokes a sense of unrestrained anger within. One's instant reaction is, 'How dare he?' or 'Why doesn't she leave him?'
It is too subjective to understand what makes a woman stay in a bad marriage, or with a bad husband. Issues like incompatibility, for some even infidelity, are negotiable. But how does one adjust to getting beaten up by a man who has publicly promised to love and respect you in an elaborate wedding ceremony?
Even so, scores of women tolerate harassment at the hands of beastly husbands in order to protect the institution's so-called honour. Some are just uncomfortable exposing the truth, while others are too scared to even try. There are women who actually die getting beaten up.
Provoked: A True Story compels you to think about this ugly issue prevalent in both modern and traditional societies.
Adapted from the autobiography Circle of Light (by Rahila Gupta and Kiranjit Ahluwalia), it is primarily the story of Kiranjit's trauma. Though the film doesn't give a detailed account of the psyche or conditioning of its victim and offender, it gives you some insight of a woman's incredible tale of abuse and acquittal.
Interview: Kiranjit, the woman behind Provoked
The opening shot (with solid backing from A R Rahman's soulful background score and Madhu Ambat's expressive photography) is exceptionally dramatic. Held by an unknown figure, a candle burns and spreads its dim light across the darkness of the living room. As it moves, the flames' reflection falls on the wall displacing framed memories from happier times. Oblivious to what it's about to do, the candle ascends in the direction of its victim. It surreptitiously reaches its inebriated victim and is let loose to make its fatal move.
The unknown figure is now revealed. It's a nervously shaking Kiranjit (played by Aishwarya Rai). The man going up in flames is her husband, Deepak (Naveen Andrews, playing the bad guy so effectively you want to strangle him).
A series of recurring flashbacks enlighten us about what really happened.
Originally from Punjab, Kiranjit comes to England after marrying Deepak. Docile and submissive, Kiranjit meekly puts up with the increasing atrocities of her alcoholic other half. The vile man beats, cheats, mistreats and abuses his wife physically, sexually and verbally.
In an interview, the real Ahluwalia stated her husband was often nice but suffered from a 'split personality'. In the film, this trait is never communicated. Deepak comes across as a you-know-what of the first order from start to finish.
In the film, the year is 1989. And Kiranjit is put behind bars for suspected murder. The trial fails to establish a prolonged background of domestic violence and the jury declares her guilty. Sentenced to life imprisonment, Kiranjit gears up for life in the cell, where she finds a protective sympathetic in her feisty and affluent inmate, Veronica Scott (a delightful, effortlessly endearing Miranda Richardson). Booked for stabbing her husband, Veronica is shown to have remarkable influence in and outside prison.
Meanwhile, non-profit organisation Southall Black Sisters, headed by Radha (Nandita Das in a spiffy, vibrant turn) takes up Kiranjit's cause, vowing to bring her justice.
Together these women prove to be a driving force in her life. While she brushes up her English speaking skills, Radha and her team create an awareness of Kiranjit's case by posting banners and flyers asking for support. Veronica uses her contacts to help Kiranjit file an appeal. In 1992, the judiciary system in what came to be known as the breakthrough 'Regina vs Ahluvalia' trial acquits Kiranjit.
Provoked is an important story which definitely needs to be told. What is disheartening is the way it is. Sure, the treatment is realistic, production values are good, and the acting is mostly commendable -- but the screenplay (Paul Austin, Rahila Gupta) is shockingly superficial.
The mostly English-part Punjabi drama has such a hard-hitting theme, but director Jag Mundhra is so preoccupied in chronicling the events, he tackles the emotional aspect rather hurriedly. Like with the case of extracting performances. Every time the actress is completely into her anguished character's skin, Mundhra; instead, of letting the camera linger for just a split second longer, jumps off to the next shot, breaking your connection with practiced insensitivity.
Aishwarya Rai, on her part, is sincerity personified. No make-up, pretty clothes or even a smile adorn her naturally gorgeous disposition. But those eyes play their part. With changing circumstances her big blue-green brimming eyes look shocked, grieved, frightened, confused and relieved. Her effort to speak in fluent Punjabi is truly impressive. Then again, there are times her body language is not in sync with the suffering of her character, something Mani Ratnam successfully got out of the actress in Guru. It is a sensitive portrayal, even if not an assertive one.
In terms of violence, the sequences are not too many or too graphic. Though there is an extended scene featuring a naked Naveen Andrews and his smouldered butt, the beating scenes are fortunately brief, nevertheless effective.
With a running time of 1 hour 45 minutes, Provoked is, as one psychologist in the film puts it, 'self-justificatory.' Even though it doesn't glorify Kiranjit's actions, it doesn't stop from justifying it either. If only the film would stress more on what Ahluwalia has been saying in almost every interview -- 'Never do what I did in life. But at the same time never suffer in a bad marriage. If you are unhappy in a marriage, get out of it.' That's what really makes her story so heartfelt and meaningful.
In the end, you come out of the theatre feeling more about the issue rather than the person.
