Reporter's diary: Reel reference for a real social problem

CHENNAI: Silver screen can provide comfort to many, even for a 40-year-old pregnant mother, who was anxious about societal perception of a middle-aged woman becoming a mother.

One such instance was witnessed at a government hospital recently when this woman who was due for delivery suddenly started crying after being administered anaesthesia. This got doctors worried, and they asked her if she was in pain.

It turned out that she was worried about what people would say since she was 40 years old, and women were usually mocked for late pregnancies.

After listening to her concern, doctors consoled her and said that she was lucky to have a baby. They also referred to the recent RJ Balaji movie Veetla Vishesham, which beautifully talks about late pregnancies.

The doctor patiently listened to the concern of the lady and then told her that the baby would be a source of happiness and she should not be worried about the societal perception as depicted in the movie. This made the lady stop crying and calm down. She was soon smiling and was seen chatting with the nurses.

The movie turned out to reflect a real-life incident at a government hospital. While talking about this incident to the reporter, the doctor also thanked the cinema industry for bringing out such concepts and normalising them for people.