'Thalaivaa' should have been banned

The much-anticipated South Indian film ‘Thalaivaa’ (Leader) released last Friday was a big letdown for me. Not because of the cinematography but the moral of the movie, or lack of it. The movie celebrates excessive violence and gangsterism. Gangsterism, especially among Indians youths is increasingly becoming a serious problem. According to Human Rights Party portal report, quoting Suhakam Commissoners that 60% of the prison occupants are Indians. In 'Thalaivaa', a commoner takes over from his father as a local 'messiah' after his death. He kills and whacks anyone he wants and later is respected for it. A rowdy hooligan celebrated as a hero! In one scene, a big fight occurs between two groups and the 'hero' just arrives and hits everyone in front of him with his bare hands. The 'hero' Viswa (portrayed by Vijay) also kills a few bad guys and hangs their bodies on a tree.

Photo By: Sri Mishri Production

The word 'hero' has almost lost its meaning with movies such as this one. A hero should be a person who is admired for noble qualities and not for hurting others. A movie like 'Vishwaroopam' was banned for one part of the movie which was thought to be sensitive: that a Muslim person was being portrayed as a terrorist. The fact is that anyone can be a terrorist. Terrorists do not belong to only one religion, it is one’s choice. It needs brains, not overly sensitive people, to accept movies like 'Vishwaroopam'. So much fuss was made for the movie to be banned, but there was no chaos or riots after the movie was released. Most viewers said it was a good movie. A good film is not about the famous actors, its songs or the big budget. A good film would carry a good message, and for that, 'Thalaivaa' should have been banned in Malaysian screens. How would our younger generation interpret movies like 'Thalaivaa'? Fans of the actor in such movies might think: ‘My favourite actor kills everyone and is still respected, so it couldn’t be that bad’. Moreover, the actor of the movie Vijay has a huge fan base in both India and Malaysia. His fans tend to dress and behave like him. It is human nature to immitate people especially if its someone famous. So when they watch movies with Vijay having not qualms about killing people and feeling good about it they might just follow in his steps. At a time when our country seems to be grappling with the large number of violent crimes committed every day, we should not continue to celebrate such violence. Police have their hands full, almost every day someone is being shot and to date, there are almost 20 recent unsolved cases.

Photo By: Sri Mishri Production

Of course, one can say the movie is rated ‘18 and above’, so kids or teenagers won’t be affected. I guess the ‘18 and above’ sign has long since lost its intended effect: how many cinemas actually check every viewer’s identity cards (IC) before letting them in? Perhaps, that is how Indians like their movies to be, I don't know, but we as Malaysians, we have our own cultures. We do not go around killing or bashing up someone as we wish. If we do, we get punished for it. We don’t get away from it like how the actor in movies does. Violent scenes are depicted in almost every other movie, be it local or international but when it relates to a specific community, better action against such depiction should be taken. It would be great if one can enjoy it as just a movie, but some viewers who can be a little fanatic over a an actor or actress. There are those, who have a hard time to differentiate between movie and reality. We can’t ask the Indian government to ban or demand them to stop making such movies. These things are beyond our control. But we have the right to request our government to ban or stop these types of movies from being screened for the sake of our next generation as well as make better choices especially in the kind of content we watch. Alhough it can be said that watching such movies is only a matter of perception. But why should we watch especially when a segment of society is being depicted as gangsters and promoting vigilantes? We want to be a society that creates more degree holders and not gangters. 'Thailava' or leader is clearly not the kind of person who we want to lead or emulate with regards to this movie. So if something can be done, such as banning such unedcuational films, why not? That would be 'leading' the way.

Above is the writer's opinion, have you watched the movie? What are your thoughts? Do share with us.