The Onam celebration at CET campus that turned tragic. CCTV image.The tragic incident in which Thesni Basheer, a third-year Civil engineering student of the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram (CET), was crushed to death by a speeding jeep on the campus has impressed a deep scar upon the Malayali psyche. Though such fatal accidents are nothing to us, this particular incident would haunt every Malayali at least until the next casualty occurs.
Road accidents sniffing out lives of a whole family have become a routine affair in Kerala. But what happened at CET is a complete different story. Thesni, who was walking back to the hostel after classes was run over by a jeep driven by one of her college-mates.
Thesni's death raises many serious questions about the attitude of the present-day youth as well as parenting. Taking a blinkered view and terming this incident a 'crime' or a case of 'culpable homicide' will not do our society any good. We need to go that extra mile and analyse the social, psychological and political angles that led to the incident.
The opinion aired by State Police Chief T P Senkumar in the wake of the tragic accident indicated a shift in our approach to such cases. According to him, the students who were involved in the crime' were seemingly influenced by movies like 'Premam'. He also clarified that he did not intent to blame that particular film alone. There are police personnel who appreciate and enjoy movies. It seems the DGP took an 'anticipatory bail' as he did not want to invite the wrath of the film industry.
Though the DGP's observation may appear contradictory at the first glance, it indeed advocated the freedom for creative art. Anything that promotes or attempts to promote crime needs to be banned. But making movies is a creative process, and if we try throttling of creative expression siting the so-called 'bad influence' on the society, not a single art form would be able to survive.
If someone wants to have a first-hand experience of the comments made by Senkumar, all he/she needs is to visit a college campus in the State. The students of a college in Attapady, a tribal belt plagued by starvation deaths and high infant mortality, came to the college wearing black shirt and white mundu to take part in the Onam celebrations. Students of a college in Memunda near Vadakara too wore the same attire for the occasion. Fortunately, as the students of these two colleges did not own a jeep, they did not crush anyone to death! Notably, 'Premam' is said to be the source of inspiration for this 'black mania'.
Having said that, can we pinpoint a film for the incident under review? If yes, it is worth mentioning that our industry had churned out many 'cult' movies in the past, ranging from 'Rathinirvedam' to 'Irakal'. In Malayalam, Mohanalal's movies, in general, fall in the category of cult, going by the peculiarities of 'cult movies' as explained by Umberto Eco on the cult work of art. However, not a single lorry driver ever tried to take his lungi off on a street influenced by Aadu Thoma, the character played by Mohanalal in Sphadikam.
At the same time, there is a couple of elements in Premam that could attract the attention of the youth. The most important one is the senseless and inappropriate depiction of violence, and secondly, the immoral romantic relationship between a student and a teacher. The hero contradicts himself and affirms the hollowness of the bonding when he shouts 'Matha Pitha Guru Daivam' and beats up the peon who passes a comment on this 'illicit' relationship'.
This particular scene throws light on the insecurity among youngsters as well as the lecherous or aggressive behaviour of today's youth.
Unfortunately, parents nowadays pay little attention to mould their young ones to be morally good. Children have become the rulers of every household as they decide the menu as well as the what dress and which vehicle to buy. The parents duly oblige to their demands by taking loans or withdrawing money from their provident fund. They are forced to buy expensive motorbikes or the latest cellphones to keep their children happy. The hard-earned money is also spent to 'buy' medical/engineering seats for their offspring who have fared poorly in the entrance exams.
As far as such children are concerned, the world appears before them as a galaxy of opportunities to fulfil their desires. For them, the roads are meant to be galloped on and girls are mere subjects to be lured. The parents are scared to advise their children not to tread the wrong path as they consider them as an investment for the future.
The movie 'Premam' reflects our society's above-said psyche, but it is not the culprit. The real culprits are the parents of those 'jeep riders' who brought them up and sponsored their pocket money. Their children are confident that if they land in some trouble, their parents would be there to save them by using their money and influence, or by resorting to desperate measures such as taking bank loans!
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