Iswarya V, who started a petition four months ago asking Tamil filmmakers and actors to stop the glorification of stalking in films, has made a short video as part of the continuing campaign.
The petition was the result of widespread debate and discussion after the murder of Infosys techie, Swathi, by her alleged stalker in June this year. Many felt strongly that such crimes were heavily influenced by irresponsible portrayals of romance in cinema where a woman's consent is never taken seriously.
In the video, Iswarya says that although they have been talking about this issue to the press for a while now, the message still hasn't reached the public.
She states that violence against women in society and misogynistic narratives in cinema have had a long history and goes on to say that of late, crimes against women seem directly fuelled by what is shown on screen. Iswarya also questions those who dismiss the influence of cinema in real life: if not for the movies, from where did so many men get the idea that stalking is the way to win a woman's heart? The video is in Tamil and has English subtitles.
Iswarya and others who're part of the campaign have also started a Facebook page that is dedicated to calling out stalking in Tamil cinema.