“Even if I have to undergo pain, I wish I can live longer”. My mother would often say this in spite of having to get to the hospital to treat her ailment. When Aruvi spoke the same lines, my heart ached and my eyes brimmed with tears; it hit home hard.
Aruvi deals with multiple social issues, at several levels. The diagnosis of AIDS, being raped/molested by people close to you, and the social stigma of a woman living alone.
We may have innumerable friends crossing ways or travelling the same path as ours in our short lives here. Being a single child, I always had friends at different stages, without whom I could not have gone through the hard emotional times of coming to terms with my mother’s ill-health, teenage struggles and so on. Having said that, it is a known fact that family always comes first. Having a sibling, that one aunt or uncle, parents who we can always open up to, is a blessing indeed. But when Aruvi is diagnosed with the deadly disease, her parents and brother see her as an outcast.
TV shows, movies, all portray AIDS as a disease contracted by unprotected sex, having multiple sex partners, being transgender or being a prostitute. However educated one is, the term AIDS only makes us think of the aforementioned reasons. So Aruvi has to look for solace in a friend and not her family.
The first blow comes when she is assaulted/molested/raped by her best friend’s father who later on apologies and reasons out that he lost his wife early. Is that a reason even? The second blow is something we hear way too often - workplace harrassment. The ‘metoo’ wave on social media is a perfect example for what really exists.
The third blow to Aruvi, I am weary of. (Un)holy godmen: when will our country ever learn? Haven't we seen enough of stories of these so-called men of God who claim prey on unsuspecting women? And still they are revered, trusted and looked up to. One flaw in the movie I can point out is here. When she already has suffered with 2 men, how can she trust someone blindly to undergo hypnosis? Anyway, no movie is perfect :)
The high point of the movie for me was when Aruvi announces, “Welcome to the world of AIDS”. The looks on the faces of each one of those men gave me a high! How I wish, every molester, every rapist ends up dying a pathetic death.
The constant fear of a girl child being sent out alone, living alone, working as a single mom, is unfathomable. Of course, it is not prevalent everywhere but most often than not, this is the case. This now brings me to the next topic of being influenced over what one watches in movies and tv shows. Women are being objectified. I happened to watch a short movie on teen pregnancy shortly after watching Aruvi. The boy in question says, he and the girl made love because that is what is portrayed to be love, rather true love.
But many movies do neither. They objectify women, portray love in the most hideous manner and the women bear the brunt of it. Of course, its always the good man over the bad, but only after the good one is portrayed as a saviour and not an equal (discussion on feminism for another article!)
To conclude, Aruvi is heavy with a lot of content. All relevant, sometimes emotionally tugging you, sometimes making you thump your fist when the wrongdoers face the music. But the most important takeaway was that of forgiveness. Of course, not many, including me have the wonderful, forgiving heart and mind but how Aruvi makes everyone around her feel happy, yet remorseful is an art and a blessing.
Some movies are pure entertainment, while others are meant to make us ponder. This definitely falls under the latter. You may shed a tear or more but Aruvi is a lovely journey to behold.
