Man Forcefully Kisses Woman In Bihar: Can Movies Stop Romanticising Non-Consensual Kissing?

Shocking CCTV recording of a man forcefully kissing a woman on the streets of Bihar in broad daylight is doing the rounds on the internet. The horrific incident took place on March 10 when a woman health worker was talking on the phone at Bihar’s Sardar Hospital premises.

The disturbing video shows a man walking in from behind the woman and forcefully kissing her. The woman is seen trying to push him away and then the man just runs off.

The woman, who has been working at the Sardar Hospital since 2015, said, "I was shocked and couldn’t understand what was happening. As I tried to pull myself away from him, he ran away." A complaint has been filed with Bihar’s Jamui police, and they are trying to nab the perpetrator. This horrific incident makes us question women’s safety.

Man Forcefully Kisses Woman In Bihar

Did this woman, who was dressed in a sari and talking on the phone at the premises of a hospital in broad daylight, "ask for this?" Can her attire, body language, or the place and time she was out to be blamed? Where do men like him get the audacity to violate a woman’s autonomy?

Visual media undeniably has a strong impact on viewers. It wields enormous power over how people think and act. Many films feature the male actor forcefully kissing the female actor for various reasons but it is all shown in a romantic light. The popular song Jumma Chumma De De is one of the earliest problematic songs of Bollywood. The lyrics and choreography of the song feature a man pestering the woman to give him a kiss despite her refusal. Over the years, we've only had more and more movies made that glorify harassment so much that it has almost normalised a crime.

In the blockbuster film Hum Tum, starring Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherjee, Khan kisses Mukherjee just to "stop her from talking." How is it even remotely romantic when a man, regardless of who he is, just "rightfully" kisses a woman without consent?

Kambakkht Ishq, yet another hit film, shows Akshay Kumar kissing Kareena Kapoor Khan out of the blue in the middle of an argument. Is kissing without consent between the lead actors acceptable because it’s a movie? Shouldn’t there be at least a bit of social consciousness and rationality? What kind of message is this giving out?

In the song, "Nain Ta Heere" from Jugjugg Jeeyo (2021), Varun Dhawan surprises Kiara Advani with a kiss. Although she is taken aback for a moment, She responds by kissing him back. This is a latest example of Bollywood's twisted idea of romance. Hero kisses the heroine without her consent and it's romantic.

Despite the rising opposition against toxicity portrayed as romance in cinema, filmmakers fail to stop featuring the male lead violating the bodily autonomy of the female lead under the guise of romance. This, in a way, contributes to a section of the male audience normalising the concept of overriding boundaries and consent. Such scenes send a message that it is acceptable for men to do whatever they want with women regardless of their consent. Because, in the end, the male lead manages to make her fall for him while his violations go unpunished. In fact, it is considered romantic, masculine, and heroic.

In movies, these are choreographed scenes, but not all male audiences realise that. By romanticising stalking, toxicity, abuse, and violence as "love," cinema is continuing to give the wrong conception of love. It’s 2023, and we still have films normalising many problematic and misogynistic concepts under the guise of love.

In real life, a woman would be disgusted even if a man touched her inappropriately, let alone kiss her without consent. So how can that be romanticised in films? Filmmakers and actors are bestowed with the power to influence the masses. That being said, isn’t it high time they step up and become more socially conscious?

Suggested Reading: Bollywood Songs That Objectify Women, Romanticise Harassment & Obliterate Consent