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Dileep-starrer ‘Bha. Bha. Ba.’ has landed in fresh controversy after a scene from the film triggered strong backlash online. This is the first film of the actor to release after his acquittal in the actress abduction and assault case that shook Kerala. Many viewers felt the scene made a cruel and insensitive reference to the case and the survivor.
The scene that sparked outrage
According to netizens, the controversial scene shows a character casually saying, “Annan kidnapped her and m**** her,”* and then brushing it off with, “Relax bro, she is a cow.”
(Picture Courtesy: Facebook)
A Twitter user wrote, “There’s a scene where a character casually drops, ‘annan kidnapped her and m…d her,’ lets the shock linger, and then brushes it off with ‘relax bro, it’s a cow.’ #BhaBhaBha.”
(Picture Courtesy: Facebook)
Netizens pointed out that the problem became worse because the narration is backed by visuals. As one user noted, “The problem gets worse because the narration is backed by a visual: Dileep literally arriving in a vehicle to kidnap a woman.”
Strong words from netizens
The reaction online has been fierce. One netizen commented, “This is not a sick joke. This is inhumane. Ethically indefensible. Absolute abasement. Rot.”The same comment further said, “You’d have to be stupendously idiotic to miss that this is used to, what’s the word for it- no not humour or visual gag- retraumatise perhaps, what she went through.”Calling out those involved, the user added, “Dhyan Sreenivasan and Vineeth carry responsibility for performing and normalising the reference. Will they say bha bha bha or apologise?”
Questions on accountability
Several users argued that responsibility should not stop with the actors alone. One post said the blame should be shared by “@Mohanlal, every producer, editor, and other stakeholders who signed off on this scene.”The comment also questioned past actions, stating, “Mohanlal and Gokulam Gopalan apologised and voluntarily cut scenes from Empuran because it hurt the sentiments of a political party. If you claim yourself to be #avalkkoppam, this doesn’t hurt your sentiments towards her?”
What the makers may have intended
According to some viewers, the scene was meant to be a spoof of the cow scene from ‘Thenkashipattanam’. However, netizens said using such a reference at a time like this was deeply upsetting and poorly judged. One Twitter user wrote, “They meant about the vision of police without even enquiring what happened..”
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Viewers also pointed out another scene involving Dhyan Sreenivasan that they felt was indirectly aimed at Prithviraj Sukumaran.
