Graphic Violence in Movies: Reflections, Impact, and Concerns

Evolution of Violence in Film: From Literature to Modern Cinema

The history of violence in film and drama dates back to the century. In the Old English Literature, we have ample examples how the English drama displayed the torments of sinners in hell. Film Industry since its beginning also employed violent scene, abusive language, harassment to attract the audience or to depict the reality. For last few decades, film industry invested a significant amount of money on depicting the graphic violence. This fact is very evident from the Hollywood and Bollywood movies. One of the movies of Bollywood that is marked with violence is “ Ghajini” (2008) which was remade Tamil movie of the same name released in 2005. Originally this movie was strongly influenced by another American Movie titled “ Memento” (2002).

Ghajini and Violent Scenes:

“ Ghajini” is completely a revenge thriller where the audience finds a hero with a short term memory loss, finds the villain and his associates who brutally murdered his beloved. The movie created a wave of controversies due to extreme violent scenes. Some of the scenes are depicted below:

This opening scene of the movie shows that the hero Amari Khan is hitting a man with a long rod pipe. The upper part of it has a sharp face. This man has tied with a tap. Blood drops down the nozzle and jutting out from the man’s stomach.

The most horrible scene of the movie is the killing of the heroin named Kalpana who is struggling model of Mumbai. She is killed by a socially notable personality named Ghajini Dharmatma. She was stabbed in the back. Later on, her head was smashed by the iron rod fitted with an iron plank. The villain swings the rod and hits Kalpna’s head as if he is hitting a golf ball. Blood comes out and overflows on the floor. In the same place, we see Aamir Khan lying in blood-stained condition as he was also fatally wounded by the villain and his associates.

In another scene, we can see that Aamir Khan kills one of the villains by breaking his neck. He lied on the floor with his head twisted grotesquely.

This movie is marked by abusive language and physical posture, too.

Impact:

The movie drew the attention of critics since its release. But at the same time, it was mentioned that the movie was charged with full of “violence and blood spill. “ Naitthani, a Professor of Political Science at St Xavier’s College challenged censor’s board decision and asked to review as the movie might have a negative impact on children.

Personally, I feel these sorts of graphic presentation of blood shedding and killing has a detrimental impact. It is likely that people with negative characteristic will easily be attracted with such villainous activities and will be tempted to adopt in real life situation. It threatens a child’s normal growth too. After being exposed to such scenes, children might behave aggressively. Aimee Tompkins (2003) in her article titled, “ The Psychological Impact on Violent Media on Children “ mentions,

“Risky behavior by children and young adults can include violence against others, lack of remorse for consequences. The type of faulty thinking creates stressors in children which can lead to the onset of many different symptoms. Children who view media violence are more likely to have increased feelings of hostility, decreased emotional response to the portrayal of violence and injury that lead to violent behavior through imitation. An example here would be the television show Jack Ass. There have been several accidents related to young men attempting stunts that are done on the show. The act of imitating what they have seen on a television show causes injury to themselves or others around them.”

Violence in other movies:

Violence in films has been doubled in Bolllywood movies. I n my own country, similar things happen. Before two decades, violent scenes were presented in a marginalized way. Bengali movies on Liberation War are the best examples. But recent years, unnecessary and irrelevant murder, yelling and fighting degrade the quality of the movie. As a result, few treat the movie as a means of entertainment.

Though some movies are heavily alleged with explicit violence and raw sexual exposure, they serve to depict the reality around us. Last year, Jazz media released “ Dohon” (2018) which is based on a true incident of Bangladesh. In the story, we see the hero throw a petrol bomb inside a bus to earn money. Unfortunately, his beloved, whom he wanted to marry, got burnt and died. This story actually unmasks the real face of dirty politics, which victimizes young people and leads them to take an illegal path.

Rethinking on Violence:

From this course, I learned so many things regarding violence, such as structural violence, violence, mental illness, violence in media, and so on. If we consider the case of Rohingya, it is easier to understand how the society itself begets violence on its own dwellers, which ultimately results in a violation of human rights.

Suicide, self-alienation, mental illness, and aggressiveness are the outcomes of violence. Though their many ways to prevent what leads to violent behavior and activities, very few of us are acknowledged of the prevention, risk factors, etc., so from an individual level to the highest national level, all must work out effectively against violence. Religious ideas should not provoke violence against others.

From my end, I am thinking of setting up a counseling center for the rape victims of my country who are blamed for the rape. This might sound very ambitious. But truly victim women must get rid of their trauma and return to regular life.

References:

1.Tompkins, A. (2003). The Psychological Impact of Violent Media on Children. Journal of Child Psychology, 30(2), 156-175.

2.Naitthani, P. (2008). Media Violence and Its Impact on Children: Review of Research. St Xavier’s Journal of Social Sciences, 45(3), 245-260.

3.Smith, R. (2015). Violence and Realism in Cinema: Historical Analysis. Film Studies Quarterly, 12(4), 432-448.

4.Johnson, M. (2010). Depiction of Violence in Bollywood: A Critical Analysis. International Journal of Media and Cultural Studies, 25(1), 87-102.

5.Adams, L. (2018). Realism in Contemporary Bangladeshi Cinema: A Study of “Dohon.” South Asian Film Journal, 42(3), 320-335.