Love and war
If it is not about religion, then it is about caste or class. The arranged marriage pattern has never died down in this caste-ridden, class-conscious and deeply communal society – sons and daughters are declared outcasts, are hunted down and brutally murdered. And they say they do it in the name of “honour killings”. Society is undoubtedly one of the most powerful man-made institutions in our world. Society in the name of ‘culture’ and ‘moral-policing’ elect themselves above the law and turn a blind eye to anything that is just, humane and rightful. How many times have we heard the tragic stories of couples being pulled apart, ‘put in their place’, eloping, being separated, struggling to live in this prejudiced world and making both ends meet. Actor Chiranjeevi’s daughter Srija who have “married against their parents’ wishes” – these are just high-profile cases – there are thousands of others which go unreported. The matrimonial industry is a profitable industry that has also crept into every medium and technology. Loving someone of your own choice is a social crime as the partner “will not understand your social customs and not continue the prestigious bloodline”. Looks like only our cinema will triumph in the same old story of love and war.
