Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s Pink will be used to create awareness on the Zero FIR Law. Pink, which released on the 16th of September, raises the issue of sexual harassment and difficulty in getting justice for the victims. It deals with young working women in Delhi who become victims of sexual harassment and are later embroiled in the legal system due to lack of awareness of their legal rights.
Speaking to Times of India, Shoojit Sircar, one of the producers of the film, said, “Many senior officials from the central government, who have seen the movie, have approached us and expressed their desire to use the film to spread awareness about the Zero FIR. They told me that after the film is out of theatres, they will take it to schools and colleges to spread awareness. It is important for women to know that, according to the law, FIRs can be registered anywhere and the bail hearing for women and children can be held at the judge’s residence. We need to know the laws and sadly, not many are aware.”
Sircar also spoke about how the law can help victims. He said, “We spoke to the Law Minister. This FIR law is existing, but a lot of young women don’t know how to use this law. So the rule is that any given time if you go to the police station you will be heard and your FIR will be registered,”
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“If something happens with a girl, say somewhere out in the (Bengal) districts and you are not able to register your FIR there, then there is a system called Zero FIR which a lot of women and men don’t know of. You can come into the city and still register the complaint. You can put that Zero FIR wherever you are,” he added.
A special screening of the film was organised for the Mumbai Police. Shoojit says, “We didn’t organise the screening for Mumbai Police. People are taking others for screenings on their own and we hope more people from the administration and police watch the film.”
Pink stars Amitabh Bachchan Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Andrea Tariang and Angad Bedi.