1,247 rape cases were filed in 2021, excluding the 286 rape attempts, according to Ain O Salish Kendra, a Bangladeshi Human Rights group. And this was just a part of the actual number, as a large number of victims are unwilling to report a case.
The movie, ‘Sahosh,’ (strength or bravery) is the story of such a girl whose bravery led her to justice somehow.
The movie has a quite simple story which advances through the romantic interactions between a newly married couple, Nila and Rayhan, untill Nila is raped by a local gang member named Mehedi.
During the post rape trauma, Nila decides to file a case against Mehedi, in which everyone demotivates her and gradually things start getting out of hands.
The significance of Sahosh can be divided into three major parts, which are nothing short of the demonstration of reality.
Firstly, using rape as a weapon of expressing manipulation or revenge is a major point. In the scene where Nila was being raped, the criminals makes Rayhan witness the brutality by force.
Needless to say, Mehedi had previous issues with both Nila and Rayhan. This particular scene indicates that rape may not be not be a sexual behaviour always; it can be a weapon of patriarchal manipulation or revenge.
Secondly, the post-rape trauma as well as the reactions, victim-blaming type of behaviours and expressions of the patriarchal society comes as another significant point.
Trauma of the incident makes Nila numb for days. She can’t even think about having justice, and becomes like some inanimate object.
She goes through experiencing the most horrible dreams of her life which affect her so much that she can’t even take her husband’s touch.
Additionally, there are those typical patriarchal reactions. For example, the employer of Rayhan, in one scene, blames Nila for being characterless.
Unknown people try to capture Nila’s video as if she is some animal of a zoo.
Thirdly, it is a girl’s decision of getting justice by obeying the law, which is opposed by her husband’s decision of breaking the law.
Nila files a case against Mehedi and asks Rayhan to deliver his testimony in the court, but Rayhan declines. In contrast, he tries to punish Mehedi and his friends, all by himself.
Now, a comparison can be made between the two paths, which one is more effective?
As Mehedi had his political backup, it was pretty impossible for the law to punish him ultimately. So, did Rayhan make the right choice? Or, at the end of the day, law delivered the ultimate justice?
Sahosh has a brilliant cast that includes Nazia Haque Orsha as Nila, Mostafizur Noor Imran as Rayhan, Kuntal Bishwas Buki as Mehedi.
Especially Orsha and Buki were the ones who stole the show. The film is directed by Sazzad Khan, and is currently streaming on OTT platform Chorki.
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