9 Disturbing Bollywood Films on Marital Rape
7. 7 Khoon Maaf (2011)
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A black comedy that didn’t do very well in the box office. Irrfan Khan (Wasiullah Khan, also known by his pen name Musafir), is the third husband of Susanna (Priyanka Chopra). He’s a thoughtful soft-spoken poet by the day and a sado-masochist by night who subjects his wife to marital rape. She covers the bruises with makeup. Her servants can’t bear to see the torture and advices Susanna to kill Wasiullah. The film, co-written and directed by Vishal Bharadwaj, won critical acclaim and a Filmfare best actress award for Priyanka Chopra.
Taming the Byomkesh Bakshi Overkill?
8. Akaash Vani (2013)
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Nushrat Bharucha plays the suffering Vani who is forced to have sex every night by her husband. She caters to all her husband’s demands and acts as the perfect wife in front of her family and friends. The regular physical abuse takes a toll on her and one day Vani decides to walk out of her marriage. She reveals the truth to everyone. Akaash Vani, directed by Luv Ranjan, tells the story of how even educated city girls suffer after marriage. More importantly, it drives home the message that it’s better to exit a bad marriage than stay in it and suffer silently.
9. Parched (2015)
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Rural Rajasthan. Four women from a desert village—Rani (Tannishtha Chatterjee), Janki (Lehar Khan), Lajjo (Radhika Apte), and Bijli (Surveen Chawla)—battle age-old traditions plagued by brutal patriarchy, dowry, child marriage, physical abuse, and marital rape. The film holds the audience by the neck and shakes you out of slumber. Written and directed by Leena Yadav, Parched received widespread critical acclaim but had a very limited release in India for obvious reasons.
