Young director’s short film focusses on marital rape

The film’s duration is a little over three minutes, within which time Chennai filmmaker Prem Shankar’s attempt in Unheard Voices is to bring out the plight of a woman who is repeatedly raped by her husband. Available for viewing on cyberspace, Prem says, “Marital rape is not considered a crime by many. The act is considered normal due to the patriarchal society we live in. I wanted to portray how the deep-seated belief that a woman cannot say no to her husband has become part of our culture.” 

Unheard Voices opens with a scene of a man forcing himself on a woman even as she desperately tries to make him understand  that she is not inclined. The scene changes to her waking up the next morning, going about her usual chores seemingly unperturbed by the previous night’s episode and interact ing with her daughter. Later that night, she is yet again raped by her husband. But while she resists it in the beginning, she is soon resigned to her fate and is seen lying emotionless. Prem says, “I wanted to keep the audience guessing about who the woman is, in the beginning. The thought that would naturally cross most minds is that she is a sex worker. By the next minute, one might have another perception of the same woman. It is only in the end that the audience knows the identity of the woman. That revelation changes the interpretation and one realises the gravity of the crime.” 

Prem’s earlier works include Madras — A Dancer’s Epipha ny, an evocative presentation of Chennai through the famous and lesser known localities of the city; and Mouni, an award-winning  film, about the statue of a man outside VGP. 

An alumnus of Anna University, Prem is now working with a digital marketing firm in  Bengaluru. He has also been involved in advertising and  candid photography.