PANAJI: Assam is the first state in the country to have a women’s commando cell in the police department where the trained women ‘Veerangana’ as they are named, protect the gender from being victimised.
Directed by Kishore Kalita, ‘Veerangana’ is the subject of a documentary in the Non-Feature Films section of Indian Panorama at the ongoing 52nd International Film Festival of India here in Goa.
“The message from the film is that women can protect women from eveteasing. Women are not lagging behind men and we are really proud of Veerangana!…I did not know personally what the outcome of the film will be. I tried my level best and the result is here today, you have seen,” a visibly pleased Kalita said at a press conference on Monday.
Screenplay writer Utpal Datta highlighted the unique part of the Assam Police initiative of ‘women to protect women’, saying: “It’s not only a government department but a social organisation as well. Police is doing a social responsibility in another way. That made me more involved with the project as usually government organisations are government organsations with a particular colour, philosophy! But this is a social organisation as in a NGO; and the transformation within the department, attracted me.”
Meanwhile, Gujarati non-feature film ‘The Spell Of Purple’ directed by Prachee Bajania is a documentary based on social evil where women face the brunt of being labelled as ‘witch’ and suffer from gruesome attacks, generally initiated by fellow women themselves. According to the crew of the film, such attacks are common in Orissa; and in Gujarat, there is a tradition where women express their protect through folk songs. The film also reflects the voyeuristic attitude towards women, said cinematographer Rajesh R.
