Yesterday we were hit with the news of the untimely passing away of 32-year-old Model, TV star and Influencer Poonam Pandey. While there were people who were skeptical over this information and sensed something fishy based on her visible health during her recent public appearances, some reserved judgement and were willing to give her the benefit of doubt. I was in the latter category, because I felt that maybe, just maybe, it’s not gotten so bad as to people faking death for the purpose of marketing.

So I got proven wrong today. Poonam Pandey is very much alive, kicking and rocking, leaving me seething honestly. Don’t get me wrong – it’s absolutely heartening to know that she is fine. But what bothers me is the exploitative use of faux demise to promote awareness about a significant health concern like cervical cancer. Here is the reel that she released today.

Death can never be a part of a gimmick!

I despise even the ‘just for fun’ pranks done by people with their friends faking death/serious health conditions.

Death is a serious matter, and to manipulate it as a marketing strategy is an affront to the emotions and grieving processes of those who have experienced real loss. It undermines the gravity of death and erodes the trust between the public and those seeking to raise awareness. This tasteless, deeply disrespectful and ridiculous campaign supposedly designed using the ‘shock’ principle of marketing, totally fails to engage the public in any meaningful dialogue about the cause, and also risks desensitizing the public to genuine causes.

Poonam Pandey trivialised the pain and grief so many people actually go through

Poonam Pandey made a mockery of the cause she was apparently trying to support and trivialized the very real pain and grief that several individuals endure.

Most of us may have friends, family members or colleagues who have experienced the crushing reality of terminal illnesses. It takes a toll on the person battling the terror as well as the caregivers. When I saw her reel, I immediately thought about how they must have felt about this. It might have been so triggering to witness the extremely casual, gimmicky approach to a life-altering disease that tests the strength, patience and resilience of everyone involved.

Influencers and advertisers – please mind what you say!

The shock value of a campaign should never come at the expense of genuine emotions or ethical considerations. It’s not even well-intended as it’s pretty evident the purpose here was sensationalism and not attention, education or awareness.

What Poonam Pandey has done is undoubtedly highly problematic, but in the larger scheme of things, I hope this episode serves as a wakeup call and somewhere nudges all influencers, marketing firms, agencies and strategists to relook at the aspects of mindfulness, sensitivity, responsibility and accountability in marketing/PR. We are definitely losing balance in the pursuit of attention and numbers.

I’m a Hardcore Feminist who LOVED Animal.

By Roopa Swaminathan

Sorry, not sorry.

If watching Animal was triggering enough for many, then I apologize for my take on the film which might trigger you enough to want to harm someone.

You’ve been warned.

I’m a raging, toxicity-hating, card-carrying member of the feminist club.

But… I loved Animal. Yep. There I said it. Stop reading now and call me names if you must.

But. I. Loved. Animal.

 Is it flawed? Yes.

But is it bold and audacious and has a unique over-the-top hyper voice of a director trying something so outrageous that you turn to yourself at every stage (because no one else would watch it with you) and go, “Did this shit just happen or did I make it all up?”

Also. A. Big. Fat. Fucking. Yes.

Ranbir’s Ranvijay ‘Vijay’ Singh in Animal is intense. He is a psychopath. He is a sociopath. He has no filter. He says and blurts things that go beyond offensive. He kills at will. There are no consequences to any of his actions. He loves his dick – he makes that very clear to the women in his life and to us. He tosses the ‘It’s a Man’s World’ with utter nonchalance when he needs to get away doing some heinous shit he knows the woman will not let him do.

Again – Vijay is INTENSE.

Full Disclosure: I have NOT watched either of Vanga’s previous two films. So I have no idea about how his male protagonists exhibit distinctly toxic male chauvinistic tendencies that many have claimed. So I’m unsure if Vanga meant for Vijay’s behavior as part of his pattern of onscreen protagonist behavior or if he meant for Vijay to show us what a ‘hero’ should NOT do or he just didn’t know any different. Whatever, I don’t really care. Within the context of the film, Vijay is an inherently flawed character, and I was/am OK with it.

Ranbir’s Vijay of 2024 is the antithesis of every Amitabh Bachchan’s angry-young-man Vijay trope many know from the 80s and 90s. But this is 2024.

Vanga is consistent with his portrayal of Vijay. At no stage do we ever feel jerked or shocked by Vijay’s consistently bizarre and hyper-masculine behavior. That he is who he is established very early on. Vijay is the son of the richest man in India – literally a member of the world’s .0000000001% club – and runs around like a maniac distributing chocolates on his father’s birthday to firing a gun to protect his sister from being ragged when he is in high school and she is in college. He happily kills men for their perceived and real slights against his family and his father with impunity. At no stage do we even see the semblance of a khaki vardi who comes by to figure out who is behind the blood and gore being spilled on the streets. Vanga’s Ranvijay Singh lives an extraordinarily privileged life and is cushioned against any consequences – ostensibly because of the intensity of his wealth. He is not just rich. He is Rockefeller, Hilton, Russian oligarchs-level rich.

That this Vijay is a narcissistic psycho-sociopath in the making is made very clear to us.

Do you hate how he behaves? By all means. But to extrapolate his behavior to how all men are or how his hyper-masculine behavior will impact nubile young men is beyond ridiculous. My neighbor’s son is 9 years old. He knows what sex is, drops the f-word when his parents aren’t looking and is obsessed with watching blood-soaked Korean movies. While his parents maintain strict viewing and reading control at home, he has access to all kinds of material in the very Tony school he goes to.

Also, the post-pandemic world has democratized content. Today, everyone, from the posh Malabar Hill area in South Bombay to the proverbial Jhumri Thalaiya watches the same content on their phone for Rs. 199 a month. The argument that Vanga’s blood-dripping violence is more than Tarantino’s entire oeuvre or the Red Wedding and Ned Stark being beheaded on GoT or the zombies out to play on The Walking Dead or anime movies like Blood: The Last Vampire and Wicked City or TV shows like Vikings or Punisher or movies like The Passion of Christ or real-life war reporting on children and women being bombed and having their hands and legs and hands amputated on Instagram is laughable at best and tragic at worst.

When the same extremely well-respected film reviewer who has on-air orgasms eulogizing a stylized sword sequence while watching Korean men savage through a room full of people as being ‘bloody poetry in motion’ and then claims they wanted to puke at the end of Animal because of ‘its bloodiness’ – come on! Folks aren’t even pretending not to be hypocritical anymore.

This is not to justify gratuitous violence. For those who say that films need to be responsible and how a movie like Animal with its hyper-masculine violence and toxic male chauvinism can affect youths in our country – that is definitely a worry. The core question then is whether should art be responsible for what happens in the world or should we encourage art for art’s sake?

In an ideal utopian world, I belong to the latter. I don’t care how heinous a POV is – I want complete freedom of speech. But I also know what a slippery slope that can be.

But if we’re speaking specifically of Animal and its toxicity – here’s the thing. Animal doesn’t even remotely represent the world we live in. Tonally, the film takes a regular hyperbole and hyper-intensifies it 100 times more. This story is about a person who is literally the son of the richest man in India. So it’s not about a Tom, Sundar, or Hari that the average Indian dude can identify with. There are probably 13 dudes on this planet who can identify with Vijay. Also, the film is beyond filmi. It is such a loud, bombastic, and over-the-top film that if anyone even remotely identifies with ANYONE in the film – you need to check yourself into a mental asylum. Vijay single-handedly kills 200 men in the middle of the day and there is NO POLICE even to check in. He flies to Scotland and kills people in cold blood and no Scotland Yard is saying, “Uhhh…you just killed people. We are going to lock you up.” Not even a 4-year-old child will take any of this behavior seriously.

The Vijay of Deewar and Trishul and Zanjeer – while being very commercial movies still had an element of ‘reality’ in it. We have all seen versions of them in our family, in our father, brother, friend, cousin, uncle.  But the fact is that NONE of us have or will ever meet a person in real life who even marginally resembles Vanga’s Vijay. This Vijay is unique in his existence. This Vijay is a cartoonesque caricature and I am reasonably sure that the average male filmgoer (especially post-pandemic) watching Animal today will get it.

Let’s get to the other big elephant in this ‘Animal’ universe. Get it? Animal in the Animal universe? Yes? No?

Vanga’s toxic masculinity protagonists and their treatment of women. Again, I’ve only watched Animal. And I knew I needed to get past my joyous immersion in the film and pay attention to the many well-intentioned diatribes against Vanga and his heroes against the women in their lives.

But here’s the thing. Is Ranbir’s Vijay toxic? A male chauvinistic pig? A narcissistic asshole who seems to love his father first, his dick next, and then the women in his life? Yes, yes, and yes.

But within the context of the movie and Vijay’s character in the film – did it bother me? No. You read that right. NO. This card-carrying feminist who typically wants to annihilate toxic behavior of any kind did not have a problem with Vanga’s Animalverse.

Let me explain.

Vijay’s relationship with his lady-love and then his wife – Rashmika Mandanna’s Gitanjali – in the weeks leading up to my watching the movie, almost every review talked about how Gitanjali is portrayed as a wimpy young girl who is clueless about herself and the world around her, and how Vanga makes her dump her betrothed for a heathen like Vijay and this after he tells her that she has a ‘big pelvis that can give birth to multiple kids.’ There is also that dialogue about how women don’t like poets but are naturally attracted to the ‘hunters’ and not the ‘gatherers.’ Did these dialogues give me the ick? Absolutely.

But see…most reviews spoke about Gitanjali dumping her betrothed for Vijay as if it were in a vacuum. They made it appear as if Vijay only JUST saw this girl, said some highly inappropriate shit and the nubile young Gitanjali with stars in her eyes just lost her mind, dumped her fiancé, and walked off into the sunset – or in her case – flew up in the air with Vijay. BUT that’s NOT the whole story at all. What the reviews don’t mention is that Vijay and Gitanjali have known each other since they were kids. Vijay had always loved Gitanjali – to the extent of proposing marriage to her when they were in school. This was not some weirdo who just showed up at her doorstep. They have a shared history.

And as far as her fiancé of 30 minutes…they barely knew one another. Gitanjali had spoken to him on the phone for 30 minutes before she was betrothed. So she is not about to marry the love of her life or even Prince Charming. He is a stranger. So dumping him is not the big tragedy that everyone claims it is.

And neither is Gitanjali some damsel in distress who needs to be saved from her lack of choice. She is not unaware of Vijay’s out-of-control impulses – all of which she has seen and experienced her entire life. And when she says yes to running away with Vijay…she is barely 21. If I were to mention the number of men I was attracted to at 21…well, let’s fucking not. We are ALL governed by our hormones at that age and YES. Asshole men – the so-called ‘bad men’ appeal to many women.

Let’s not pretend that despite being 2024, with social media ready to pounce and call out any bad behavior – a lot of women still claim – very gleefully – that they only like ‘Bad Boys.’ If I had a rupee for every single snigger directed towards me when I mention how I like the boring good guys – I would have enough to visit Switzerland. Again, this is 2024, and many women still like the ‘bad boys.’ So what do they think bad boys do? We live in a world where free women voluntarily write, visit, get married, and have children with inmates on death row. ON DEATH ROW!

So, let’s not kid ourselves. The ‘bad men’ syndrome just didn’t happen out of thin air.

What offended me even more is that while Vijay’s extremely offensive statements to Gitanjali triggered many but the fact that she was going to sign her life away to a stranger – all to keep up the arcane tradition of ‘arranged marriages’ alive barely elicited a whimper.

Am I saying Gitanjali made the wrong decision? ABSOLUTELY. I don’t want there to be ANY misunderstandings regarding that. But do I firmly believe Gitanjali chose to make the wrong decision – and this distinction is key.

As far as Vijay’s extramarital dalliance with Tripti Damri’s Zoya and the infamous boot-licking scene – again, COME ON! That was a very specific scene about two players with their own agendas and who are in the relationship for very specific reasons. I did not – not for one second – find anything wrong with that scene within the context of the film.

Neither Gitanjali nor Zoya are women who need saving. That they make sketchy choices is very clear. But that they make their choices themselves is also very clear.

The other three important women in Vijay’s life are his mother and two sisters. While the mother tries to make up for her husband’s behavior by looking through her son’s increasingly demented excesses and his two sisters – both of whom try to stand up for themselves in an increasingly volatile world of Animal – while I repeatedly rued the length and almost caricaturist presentation of these women in the Animalverse, I was OK with it for it felt like it was just more in keeping with the overwrought nature of the movie itself.

PERFORMANCES

• In terms of performance – every single person is on their A game. Ranbir Kapoor is a fucking marvel. Between him and Ranveer Singh and Ayushman Khuraana, anyone who says that the best actors in Hindi cinema are in the past – I humbly ask them all to take a hike and get their brains checked. Kapoor is a once-in-a-lifetime talent who surrenders himself to the part in its entirety. He deserves every award this year for his outstanding performance.
• Rashmika Mandanna plays the part of a young girl crazily in love with a man she knows is a psychotic asshole. While I did have concerns with her constantly speaking with her lips pursed, she plays Gitanjali as not a girl who needs to be saved but as one who chooses to be with a sociopath and who is OK with her choice. If Ranbir’s Vijay is mad – Mandanna’s Gitanjali is equally crazy. This is not a lost soul who was taken by her man for a ride. She knows him and chooses to be with him.
• All the supporting actors are brilliant. Anil Kapoor – a marvelously controlled performance by this brilliant auteur plays the clueless father who constantly wonders who Vijay is, how is this crazy lunatic his son, and what did he do to deserve the very one-dimensional, one-note, obsession by his son pitch perfectly.
• Bobby Deol – a worthy and stunning antagonist as the villainous Abrar. I just wish we saw more of him. Unfortunately for him, by the time we see him, we see so much negative behavior from our protagonist himself that much of Deol’s Abrar’s impact gets diluted. Abrar felt more of a distraction, an afterthought, and a plot tool to wrap up the story instead of someone who was intrinsic to the story. I wish Vanga had done Deol more justice. That Deol was able to leave behind his impact on the audience is more chance and his skill as an actor than a plot point that overdeifies the main character over the rest. One of the best scenes is towards the end when these actual brothers-in-arms separated by family greed and duplicitousness come together as a mute Abrar fights for his life with a deaf Vijay – it’s almost as if together – they make for one solid human.
• The doting uncle played by Shakti Kapoor, the myriad turbanned cousins-turned-henchmen, all of whom collectively make an impact as the ‘bros in arms,’ the weird psycho creator of the most imaginative and made-in-India machine gun ever, the psycho gun itself, the two first wives of Abrar – who are no dukhiyaari women – who sneak out from the bloody mayhem of their husband marrying and bringing a third woman into their lives and death and destruction to smoke a ciggy and give us an insight into their agendas while marrying Abrar, and who make it very clear that covered they might be from head-to-toe, they know who they are and why they are – thank you very much – everyone played their part to perfection.

WHAT REALLY WORKED FOR ME IN ANIMAL?

• I like how Vanga plays with editing and ends up giving us answers for questions that we had no idea we wanted to ask a few scenes ahead of time. It jerked me when he moved between times and locations without any lead-up (in writing we use transition words to seamlessly flow from one paragraph to the next) and there was no seamlessness here. His edits take you from one scene to the next without locating you but slowly you understand what’s going on. Conceptually, it started to work for me. I hope that what feels more of an overambitious plot method that almost feels amateurish, will get better with his next offering.
• Can I just say that as a woman – having so many chaddi scenes of men in Animal gave me a voyeuristic thrill? I’m thrilled that all the gratuitous sex scenes are with men and their bodies. And given that the film is filled with really hot dudes, thank you, Vanga.
• I loved his band of Sardarji brothers. The pre-interval block – especially with Vijay annihilating his first group of opponents wearing Animal masks to the chorus of his Sardarji brothers singing was ludicrous when you pull back and watch it. But when you allow yourself to be in the world – it was exhilarating. Those kinds of over-the-top scenes are what make this larger-than-life cinema so thrilling.
• Vanga also shoots from the hip and takes these massive swings in drama and storytelling. Do they always work? Maybe not. But did I have a rocking solid time watching the 3+ hours film? Yes. Did I love the manic and bonkers energy in the film and his over-the-top storytelling? Oh, absolutely, yes. YES.
• This may not be politically correct. But to me – Vanga is perhaps the most insanely original voice in Hindi cinema in recent years. I may not agree with his perspective, but guess what? I don’t have to agree to appreciate and applaud a vision that pulsates with energy and is TRYING something different.

MY ISSUES WITH THE MOVIE:

• It could’ve been crisper. I like that Vanga stages his scenes like it’s a play. He is not scared of letting the scenes take their own sweet time. Almost every scene feels like it’s overstayed its welcome. Maybe it’s because we are now used to crisper and stylish intercuts and want things to move faster. While I liked and appreciated the slow and steady build of each scene, I wished they were crisper.
• I also wish we had seen more of the OTHER group of brothers. In the big fight between Vijay vs. Abrar, of the 3.21 hours of the movie, we see almost 2 hours and 40 minutes of Vijay and his men versus the minuscule final 30-something minutes of Abrar and his.
• Speaking of the antagonist Abrar – what disgusted me was when the story conveniently uses Abrar as a way to ‘othering’ a religion. In today’s charged climate, to show the established antagonist belonging to a religion that is being targeted globally and to show them as being more debased and debauched – to me was by far the most unnecessary, exploitative, and weakest link in the film. As was Vanga’s faux patriotism to his country illustrated by the ‘made-in-India’ grandfather of a machine gun. It was all so petty and unnecessary.
• Also, if you’re one of those who questioned the almost homo-erotic nature of Vijay’s obsession with his ‘papa’ – I get you!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Are there legitimate issues with the film? Sure. But I will not join the chorus that is calling the film out for its violence, its toxic male protagonist, and its ‘messaging.’ I find the hypocrisy overwhelming. If we can all collectively sit through, admire, and be awed by the ludicrous plots and violence of the many mainstream international movies and TV shows in the world today, where the lines between good and bad and the protagonist and antagonist are blurring, then I can buy the premise of a boy-child who becomes a boy-man and who will indulge in any amount of violence to protect his one-sided love affair with his father.

I’ve heard legitimate complaints from many that the violence in Animal is glorified and that the hero does not ‘pay’ for his sins. I get that. But, not all screenplays or story-telling need to follow the classic structure. The pro-antagonist may not always get his comeuppance. That may be dissatisfying to many. But again – that does not mean you cannot write a story about a deranged nutjob and not give him the kind of denouement that you think he deserves. AKA – him getting arrested and put in solitary confinement for the rest of his life. Or given the death penalty for his sins.

But for me – Ranvijay Singh DOES get his just desserts. Is it the way that most of us would want? No. But Vijay does pay for his sins and gets his comeuppance in the end. After all his machinations to protect his one true love – his papa – and succeeding, Vijay loses his father to cancer anyway leaving him a broken and bereft man. This is a tragedy that Vijay will never get over. Again…is that what YOU think he deserves? Maybe not. But does his heart get broken at the end leaving him a broken man? Yes.

To reiterate…should we stop making films about what society deems are sketchy behavior and subjects? For me – NO. Increasingly, I’m getting to a point where I feel that art should have NO boundaries. Recently, a streaming platform apologized and pulled a film because one community got offended that a female protagonist in the film eats meat. EATS MEAT. That’s where we are now. So I would rather we live in a world where everyone gets to make art about anything they choose to. And then we – the audience – can choose whether we want to watch said art or not.

I will admit – I did not watch Kabir Singh because of the overwhelming negativity surrounding the film. I almost did the same with Animal. I will no longer do that. I will watch everything and spew my brand of hate or love only after I watch it.

I LOVED Animal. And I cannot wait for Vanga’s next offering – the even more hyper and over-the-top Animal Park which will pit Ranbir Kapoor against Ranbir Kapoor. Everyone who has a problem with that, I appreciate your perspective. I hope you will do me the courtesy to appreciate mine as well.

Social Media star Poonam Pandey has been in the news for the wrong reasons. On Friday, the following message was posted on her Instagram account by her team, sending shockwaves.

“This morning is a tough one for us. I am deeply saddened to inform you that we have lost our beloved Poonam to cervical cancer. Every living being that ever came into contact with her was met with pure love and kindness. In this time of grief, we would request privacy while we remember her fondly for all that we shared.”

Celebrities and friends expressed their shock and posted messages about how wonderful a human she was. Netizens tried to find out more about her sudden demise. There was also a section of the internet that expressed doubt. Poonam was seen partying just four days prior. How did she pass away so suddenly when she looked hale and hearty?

Personally, this hit hard. I’ve lost a loved one to cancer, and the very mention of the word is triggering. To be so full of life and to die at such a young age! My heart went out to Poonam and her family.

But she’s alive; this was just an ‘awareness campaign’!

In a shocking turn of events today, Poonam’s profile was updated with new posts. She was revealed to be alive and well ! Poonam shared a video of herself talking about her fake death that was part of a campaign to promote cervical cancer awareness.

“I am alive. I didn’t die of cervical cancer. Unfortunately, I can’t say that about those hundreds and thousands of women who have lost their lives because of cervical cancer.”

She went on to talk about the disease. Sharing the video, Poonam wrote, “I feel compelled to share something significant with you all – I am here, alive. Cervical Cancer didn’t claim me, but tragically, it has claimed the lives of thousands of women who stemmed from a lack of knowledge on how to tackle this disease”.

Imagine my shock that this was just a publicity stunt!

I was relieved that she was alive and healthy, and that cancer had not claimed a 32-year-young victim. But I also felt disgusted. Whatever be the intention, the act itself was sickening. It reminded me of the episode in Friends where Ross faked his death and held a memorial to hear what his college mates had to say about him.

Why would anyone claim to have a dreaded disease and make a mockery out of it? How appalled would a survivor or someone currently struggling with the Big C feel about this hoax?

Poonam is no stranger to controversy. She has posted risqué photos and videos, and has made many controversial statements in the past. What was this attempt for anyway? A few seconds of fame? A moment under the spotlight? If she was aiming for the ‘shock effect’ and grabbing attention, she certainly achieved it. Her profile hits have soared, and she is trending due to netizens expressing disbelief and disgust.

How will the credibility of a campaign done like this survive?

The credibility and the intent behind the cancer awareness campaign is in tatters. This is such a shameful and foolhardy attempt! Shouldn’t marketing be ethical and responsible? Mocking death is not how you promote cancer awareness. Contrary to educating the masses, this campaign might even have the opposite impact.

Over the past few years, the trend to create hype by hook or crook has been overwhelming. Rumors of affairs before a big release, speculation about break-ups and divorces for brand campaigns to create hype; the list is long. Does negative publicity sell? Not always.

This is a crucial issue, not to be treated so lightly

In this age of deepfakes and misinformation that spreads at the speed of light, this stunt only comes out as desperate and destroys credibility that an actual cancer awareness campaign can bring.

The focus needs to be on emphasizing that cervical cancer is preventable, making HPV vaccines affordable and accessible, encouraging women to go for regular pap smears and HPV screening, and removing any stigma associated with the screening. The first step towards this is educating young girls. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her interim budget speech suggested that the Government would educate girls in the age group 9-14 for the prevention of cervical cancer.

Poonam Pandey, please introspect. Actions have consequences. You owe cancer warriors, survivors, and their families a big apology! Be an ambassador by all means, but do it with integrity, and not through cheap gimmicks.

The death of Indian actress/model Poonam Pandey at the tender age of 32 due to cervical cancer comes in as a reminder  that women health is quite fragile. Her role as the primary caregiver makes it imperative that she takes her health seriously.

That’s precisely why HPV vaccination for girls aged 9-14 years has been mentioned as a mandate in the interim budget 2024 by our Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. She mentions, “Our government will encourage vaccination for girls aged 9 to 14 years as a preventive measure against cervical cancer” during her budget speech.

According to reports, Cervical cancer ranks second among women’s cancers in India, with over 123,000 new cases and 77,000 deaths that were reported in 2020. This is also due to the fact that most women are either unaware of the disease and its precautions or they have limited access to the HPV vaccine which eventually leads to late diagnosis and undesirable outcomes.

In India cervical cancer is ranked as the second most common cancer amongst women resulting in a considerable extent to the global burden of cervical cancer across the world.

The main cause of this disease is the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) the prevalence of which remains high due to the lack of awareness or access to the HPV vaccination in spite of the central government’s attempt to implement cancer screening awareness all across the country. This could be due to the stigma that most women face while visiting a gynecologist wherein at times they are snubbed or reprimanded for various reasons-be it their lack of knowledge/awareness, of healthcare, limited access to healthcare facilities or even lack of family support. Unfortunately even when women are educated, they lack the courage to visit a doctor. Regular screening with Pap smears or other HPV tests can diagnose early stages of the disease however most of the rural areas of India lack facilities for screening thus leading to a late diagnosis, loss of life and the eventual case of a lost and unfulfilled potential.

As per GLOBACAN 2020, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) there were 123,907 new cervical cancer cases while deaths were reported to be around 77,348.

Dr Krithiga Shridhar, an Epidemiologist at the Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC), points out the importance of a global commitment towards eradicating cervical cancer completely through vaccination drives, screening, early diagnosis and treatment. Cervical cancer is one of the most life threatening cancers across the world, especially in the rural areas of India.  Dr. Shridhar emphasizes the importance of population level screening and implementing HPV vaccination drives across the country. She suggests the need to identify and understand the implementation gaps so that there’s an immediate arrest in the number of cases in cervical cancer that’s increasing in leaps and bounds.

Late diagnosis is the most important cause of deaths amongst women due to cervical cancer, even in case of actress/model Poonam Pandey it was confirmed by her manager Parul Chawla who said, “She got detected with cancer sometime back, and it was in the latter stages. She was in her hometown in Uttar Pradesh, and the funeral will mostly happen there.”

This news must make us much more cautious as rightly pointed out by Dr CS Ramesh, Director, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, and board member of the Union International for Cancer Control who says, “The most effective prevention is a healthier lifestyle. Avoiding tobacco (in any form) and alcohol, more physical activity, losing weight and preventing infections are the important strategies we need to adopt. A physically fit and active person has a much lower chance of developing cancer than others.”

The finance minister’s statement encouraging young girls and women to get vaccinated against this deadly disease comes sadly after a day of Poonam Pandey’s early demise. As per her claims, the government plans to cap prices of the HPV vaccine so that they become more affordable. They also promise to explore options of maximizing and spreading awareness about cervical cancer through Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities.

According to reports, Indian scientists have developed the first indigenous Human Papilloma Virus vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer and other HPV-associated cancers, “Cervavac”; the vaccine that was manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), would soon become part of India’s National Immunization Program 2024.

Every year the approximately 1.25 lakh women get affected with cervical cancer with almost 75% deaths that are reported. Besides, 83% of invasive cervical cancer in India is linked to HPV 16 or 18 as compared to 70% worldwide.

Thus echoing the words of Union science & technology minister Jitendra Singh the best way to prevent cervical cancer is by getting vaccinated against human papillomavirus.

According to the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Interim Budget 2024 will empower the four significant pillars of Viksit Bharat. They are ‘Garib’ (Poor), ‘Mahilayen’ (Women), ‘Yuva’ (Youth) and ‘Annadata’ (Farmer).

She began her Interim Budget 2024 speech by recounting the current government’s accomplishments in the last ten years.

She said empowerment of women through entrepreneurship, ease of living and dignity has gained momentum in the last ten years.

Interim budget 2024 supports women’s enrolment in higher education

The Finance Minister said, “Female enrolment in higher education has increased by 28% in 10 years. In STEM courses, girls and women make up 43% of enrollment, one of the highest in the world. All these steps are reflected in the increasing participation of women in the workforce. Making triple talaq illegal, reservation of 1/3 seats for women in Parliament and state assemblies, over 70 % houses under PM Awas Yojana to women have increased their dignity.”

Lakhpati Didi Scheme

During his Independence Day speech last year, the Prime Minister had announced the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ scheme to provide skill development training to 20 million women in villages nationwide.

Eighty-three lakh SHGs (Self Help Groups) with nine crore women transform the rural socio-economic landscape with empowerment and self-reliance. Their success has assisted nearly one crore women to become Lakhpati Didi already. Buoyed by the success, it has been decided to enhance the target for Lakhpati Didi from 2 crore to 3 crore.

Cervical Cancer Vaccination for girls aged 9-14 years

FM Sitharaman promised that the government would encourage vaccination for girls in the age group of 9 to 14 years for the prevention of cervical cancer. Globally, cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in women, after breast, lung and colorectal cancer.

Ayushman Bharat Scheme to be extended to all women working at grassroots level

Additionally, free Healthcare coverage under the Ayushman Bharat scheme will be extended to all ASHA workers, Anganwadi Workers and Helpers. Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) is the world’s largest publicly funded health insurance scheme that provides coverage of ₹5 lakh per family per year.

Financial support for better streamlining of India’s vaccination programme

The newly designed U-WIN platform for managing immunization and intensified efforts of Mission Indradhanush will be rolled out expeditiously throughout the country. The programme to digitize India’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) presently is being run in a pilot mode.

Here is the full text of the budget speech.

Trigger Warning: This deals with misogyny, internet trolling, and violence against women, and may be triggering for survivors. 

I had refrained from watching ‘Animal’ in theatres, given it’s long runtime and rumours of misogynistic content. When it was finally released on OTT, I somehow decided to give it a chance; after all, what did I have to lose?

A few minutes into the movie I realized, for once, the rumours were true.

The alpha male

Animal begins and ends with the protagonist imitating a monkey making lewd gestures at a young woman who is bathing. The entire scene had absolutely no relation with the movie whatsoever. The hero is touted as an alpha male, and there’s a 5-minute speech on who an alpha male is. One who fights and protects, and unlike weak men, doesn’t do silly things like poetry.

He compliments his friend’s big pelvis, unbuttons at the sight of a woman, walks around naked, cracks crass underwear jokes, and when his wife reprimands him for his foul temper, he blames it all on what lies between his legs. The man is obsessed with body hair, there are constant references to shaving the chest and genital area. Sigh…

What makes matters worse, are Animal’s women. Having secured an admission to Princeton for MBA, his wife falls for his alpha male personality and leaves everything behind to get married. He hurts her, but of course out of love. He engages in an affair outside marriage (of course, to spy on that woman) and this lady ditches her fiancé and blurts out her secrets, the moment our alpha male makes love. Wife and mistress just kiss, forgive, and move on.

A man who really doesn’t care about anything or anyone beyond his needs and his ego

I could go on and on, but I guess the point that the makers wanted to convey, was here’s a man, a powerful one at that, endowed with lots and lots of brawn. He can kill, destroy, and massacre in the name of his family. And what we end up seeing on screen is a spoilt brat, a Man-Baby who screams, and demands food, alcohol and cigarettes.

The antagonist has a screen time of 10 minutes, during which he slaps all his 3 wives and celebrates his Suhaag Raat on a couch with a room full of guests. He dies, so his younger brother pledges to marry his wives, to which they happily agree. Slow claps?

The movie is one man’s idea of being Manly, violent and angry. With a lesson on how Good Women should be, meek and forgiving. If this isn’t a classic example of misogyny, what is?

So, as I generally do, I happened to review Animal and post it on a popular movie review page on FB. Within moments of my post going live, I realized how this movie turned out to be a massive hit.

I was getting trolled and how! And trust me, all men

I had mentioned in my review that misogyny aside, the violence and bloodshed was intolerable.

And so, there were like 50 comments, telling me, that not Animal, but it’s my review that’s unbearable. Bakwaas, 3^rd class, terrible they had deemed it, claiming to have read only 2 lines.

Were these people so offended, that they couldn’t even read the entire review? Anyways.

There was one who said, “You Didi are the problem.”

There were others like, “Apna Gyan Apne Paas Rakho.”

“Tum Toxic Ho, Movie Nahi.”

“I read the first 2 lines, saw your name, realized you are a woman, so I stopped. Useless review.”

“Violent yes. But where’s the misogyny, lady?”

“Hope this director makes more such movies, so Bekars like you can write negative reviews.”

The weirdest guy went ahead and said, “She’s Mallu, obviously.” Still wondering what that meant.

And of course, each of the comments had a prefix name to call me, “Didi, Behen, Dude, Bro, Mallu and most importantly, Pseudo Feminist.”

There were a few less insolent ones who couldn’t help but wonder, “Why do you watch it with a Woke Feminist lens? He is flawed but loves his wife and sisters. What’s the big deal.”

Thus, for whole 2 days, the trolling continued.

I have posted negative movies about some movies in the past, but never have I been flooded with so much hate. What do I understand from this?

Probably all the supposedly alpha males getting triggered by my review?

That Animal is some kind of a cult classic that all these men immensely appreciated? Maybe it is. Even then, am I not entitled to my opinion? Or is it because I’m a woman who bashed a Man, an Alpha Man at that? And it hurt their little male ego?

Also, perhaps the mythical Alpha males are real, they do exist. And they are loved and worshipped. Like the protagonist’s character and of course, the maker.

But most importantly and quite obviously, it goes to show that despite all talks of empowerment and equality, we as a society are failing. The majority of us, sadly young men, still adhere to that regressive and patriarchal idea that Man alone is the Strong Protector, the Provider, who controls his many women, to bring balance in the world. In the process, if he hits or hurts, what’s wrong? He apologizes too, doesn’t he?

The actor and the director won awards and walked home with a lot of moolah. But not before leaving an indelible impression on many young minds, igniting the false manhood in them. There are hundreds of them glorifying Animal, telling us that This is what a Man should be like. Alas.

To think, one movie review showed me the true face of our society, what so many men take us women for. Objects of lust before marriage and Karvachauth observing Pativrata Nari post-marriage.

And if a woman, as much tries to discuss a different POV, about just a movie, these men would troll and insult her, shut her up. They can’t handle criticism, because I’m a woman?

I for once didn’t respond to any, I can’t stoop to their level. And while I’m saying that, the lead actor has won an award and announced a sequel, which he promises would be darker, and more ‘Manly’.

Do these people have absolutely no social responsibility? Beats me.

This is what my mother told me one day.

Mother : There was a woman. Her husband used to beat her everyday. He used to verbally abuse her a lot. But, she never protested anything. She used to tolerate all the abuse quietly.

Me : ……..

Mother : One day, someone said to her, “Why do you tolerate all this abuse?” Do you what was her answer?

Me : ……..

Mother : The woman said, “My husband works hard all day. He meets various people. They anger him. I don’t want him to show his anger on those people and fight with them. So, I let him beat me and verbally abuse me.” See, how good that woman was. She loved her husband so much. All the women should be like her.

Me : ………

There is another incident. One day, I was reading a book. I wanted to know something, so I was reading that. Now, that book contained some chapters which were the personal thoughts of the author. There was a chapter on the relation between a husband and a wife. In that chapter, the author wrote about a very ‘good woman’. The incident which was narrated is summarised below:

There was a woman. He had a mistress. He used to stay with her. But, every other day he used to ask his ‘wife’ to cook pulao, biriyani etc.  and send it to him. The wife was very ‘good’. So, she used to obey her husband.

Now, why does this happen? There are several reasons. We had a teacher. He is much older than my mother and is quite conservative. I respect him a lot.

One day he said, “There are some students who don’t study properly and after the exam they tell their parents that the paper was very hard, they weren’t taught all these etc. They are just like those men who get beaten outside (the house) and then, go home and show ‘bahaduri’ in front of their wives. 

This is real. Many men abuse their wives at home inorder to satisfy their ego. Many women tolerate such abuse because they have nowhere to go. 

I know several women who say, “If I could earn or my parents would have accepted me back, I would have left this man long ago.”

And then, there are women who ‘love’ their husbands too much. 

Some other women are made to think since childhood, that abuse in the hands of their husbands is completely normal and as dutiful wives, they should tolerate everything and keep loving their husbands.

And this cycle goes on and on.

They dictated “I am dark”

That was always their remark.

Many feel my skin is tanned

That makes my role banned.

The integrity of my black skin shatters

in ludicrous and wraithlike utters.

The glossy matrimony ad seeks for a girl of fair skin

Is something really wrong with my coffee tainted skin?

When I got married to a man who is fair,

To many it seemed and sounded unfair.

People say “dark but beautiful” or dusky brown

The darkness of melanin is a matter of frown.

With hot spicy cutlets and milk shake, they welcomed us

The gossiping grand aunt was not at all in a mood of fuss.

His peach cream complexion scored higher than my dark face

That made her a lot many things to trace.

Next time, she gave me a cold welcome with cold biscuits and black coffee

And when I went alone, she behaved very bossy.

I can’t fit into the tyrannical moulds of many

My dusky colour can’t please any.

When she sees me the smile on her face fades,

But I don’t care as beauty comes in all sizes, shapes and shades.

Published here first.

The lady who helps me with the cleaning has been dealing with health issues for the past month or so, making it challenging for her to come to work regularly. This has left me struggling to manage household responsibilities.

Recently, she visited me with a bag of medical papers to prove the severity of her illness, struggling with the vocabulary to explain what was wrong. I waved away the documents because I didn’t want to invade her privacy, assuring her of my trust and urging her to take as much time off as needed. I emphasized that she should only return when she feels strong enough. But she insisted, asserting that they were in English.

I finally agreed, and discovered that she is grappling with menopause. And just like no two humans are alike, neither is their experience of menopause – hers seems to have really done a number on her.

It struck me that discussions about menopause are often considered taboo in the workplace. Even matters such as menstrual leave and maternity leave are met with reluctance and are not openly discussed due to perceived unprofessionalism. But menopause by far is the most neglected, not in the least because it signals age, which corporate culture doesn’t really appreciate.

Employers need to do better for women going through menopause

Fortunately, I am part of an organization that takes a progressive approach to women’s health. Recently, we hosted a session on menopause facilitated by health experts. The event was framed as a wellness initiative and was open to all, irrespective of gender.

Why shouldn’t women receive support for menopause – and why should men attend these sessions? While it is an experience unique to women, it’s important for anyone they live or work with, to understand how it affects them, and what support they might need. Despite facing a multitude of challenges, they persist in their professional endeavors, ensuring they don’t fall behind their male counterparts. Whether dealing with hot flashes, heavy periods, debilitating migraines, or a myriad of other symptoms, women continue to work, meeting clients, traveling, and showing up consistently.

Like menstrual leave, I believe menopause too, has a place in the workplace. If humans have a place in the workplace, then so do all regular human issues. My cleaning lady isn’t sure when she will be back, and it doesn’t matter. Her job will be waiting for her when she does. Until then, kindly ignore the fine layer of dust on my mantle!

First published on LinkedIn.

Image source: YouTube/ short film Everything is Fine

In impoverished Indian households one often finds an insistence on marrying off the daughter as early as possible, treating the girl as if she is a burden. It’s as if they eagerly await her turning 18, considering it a milestone for arranging her marriage. In some cases, the situation is so extreme that the girl is married off even before reaching the age of 18.

This is the story of Janak Nandini Mishra, a young woman who was married off at the tender age of 12, but who has now found a way out of her abusive marriage to become self-reliant.

Nandini’s family was poor, and due to their financial situation, they wished to marry off Nandini to lessen the burden on their family. After marriage, she found herself in an abusive situation.

Nandini’s in-laws were harassing her, beating her. But she had decided that she would not tolerate all this any more than she could help. As soon as she could, she went ahead and started looking for her way out. It was difficult but she knew that ‘Nothing happens by sitting in fear of difficulties’. Soon, Nandini left her in-laws and went back to her home.

How Nandini Mishra found the way out of a bad situation

Nandini soon got to know about self help groups in India helping women like her to empower and flourish their lives with happiness.

Nandini shares, “I was determined to make a difference. My mother and I joined the Narayan Self Help Group. With an initial loan of 5,000 rupees, we set up a flour mill in the village. The monthly income gradually increased, reaching approximately 1.5 thousand rupees. Officials from the Livelihood Mission provided training in various agricultural activities. Eventually, we purchased 36 decimals of land for 80,000 rupees. I am delighted that I transitioned from labouring in the fields to becoming a landowner.”

Nandini shares, “I was determined to make a difference. My mother and I joined the Narayan Self Help Group. With an initial loan of 5,000 rupees, we set up a flour mill in the village. The monthly income gradually increased, reaching approximately 1.5 thousand rupees. Officials from the Livelihood Mission provided training in various agricultural activities. Eventually, we purchased 36 decimals of land for 80,000 rupees. I am delighted that I transitioned from labouring in the fields to becoming a landowner.”

Walking 10 kilometres everyday

Nandini’s journey to success faced numerous challenges. Living in a village without roads or buses, she had to walk 10 kilometres to reach the bus stop. Despite the lack of transportation, she graduated and pursued a Master’s in Social Work (MSW).

Once financial conditions improved, she facilitated her father’s eye surgery. Today, she owns a laptop, a scooter, and various other resources.

Nandini Mishra now provides training to others, across 18 districts and 3 states

Nandini has received training in agriculture and livestock-based activities, including organic manure preparation, bio-fertilizers, organic pesticides, and grain storage in homes, under the schemes and initiatives run by the government. Now she goes to different places and villages to share and teach what she learned.

Nandini’s success extends beyond Shahdol district; she has made a name for herself as a Master Trainer in the field of agriculture. She does training in agriculture of other women in Self Help Groups across approximately 18 districts in Madhya Pradesh.

Her dedication and achievements have become an example for the entire state. She received training from the National Institute for Rural Development in Hyderabad and has conducted training sessions in many places, including Punjab, Haryana, and Chhattisgarh.

Janak Nandini Mishra’s story stands as a testament to the power of determination and self-reliance, showcasing how one woman’s resilience can inspire change and uplift communities.

Ravivar Vichar has made a commitment to bring forth the stories of every such woman and make us aware of their lives.

In this WomensWebXMahilaMoney impact series, we bring you entrepreneurs like Janak Nandini Mishra who had not just the ambition to grow, but took the steps needed to bring their dreams to fruition. Apply for a loan of up to 25 lakhs to fuel your business growth by downloading the Mahila Money App on Google Playstore or visiting the website here.