Depiction of Gender Based Atrocities in the Kannada Movie Kateera

Gender discrimination and the gender based violence is a bane that is lurking in many societies around the globe. Women encounter violence in a male dominated society in their normal scope of activities. Indeed, gender based violence cannot be understood in isolation; it has become a part of unequal gender relations in a patriarchal society. Honour killing is one among them. This has become a common phenomenon in many countries including India. Moreover, honour killings are crimes which are deeply rooted in societal traditions in order to preserve the caste supremacy. In this context, the conceptualization of honour killing naturally grants the male members of the family the power. They wield their reins over the life of a woman who transgresses to choose a life partner belonging to a different caste. The paper explores violence on women projected in the Kannada movie Kaatera (2019) directed by Tarun Sudhir. The movie revolves around multiple themes such as feudalism, agrarian crisis, caste system, corruption and the practice of untouchability. The typical men in a patriarchal society or in a Zaminadari system have an inclination to dominate, punish and control the female body. This film has illustrated such a milieu. The female character Prabhavati is the victim of patriarchy while Kumari is the victims of feudalism. This paper strives to examine two major themes related to gender and violence associated with Patriarchy and Feudalism. The prime theme of the article is to address honour killing and violence perpetuated on woman’s body in the context of patriarchy and feudalism. This paper also makes an attempt to compare and contrast both the systems such as Zamindari and patriarchy which believe not only in upholding the power but also in hierarchy. The notion of Feudalism and Patriarchy are analysed by deploying the theories of power, gender and violence.

Keywords: Honour Killing, Violence, Shame, Abuse, Patriarchy, Feudalism