Picture a young rebel on a motor bike. Someone who does not care much for rules, or for the society.
You create this character in a story you write, and you put him in a scene where he rides a bike without the compulsory helmet, followed pretty strictly now on the roads of Kerala thanks to transport commissioner Rishiraj Singh. But he is not happy to see the same rules he enforces so strictly on the roads being violated in films where riders are shot without helmets in public places.
He sends a letter to the film people asking them to avoid that, and if it can't be avoided to carry a warning like the anti-drinking/smoking alerts.
“Why should they be exempted from the law? It is a law not to ride without helmet in a public place," shoots out Rishiraj Singh. “Even if it is for a film, it is shot at a public place. There was once a High Court order against a Malayalam movie for showing riding scenes without helmet. They are doing it at the expense of their own lives."
Actor Murali Gopy, who is already upset by the censor board's denial of certificate for 'Vedivazhipaadu' says, “Fiction is fiction because it is fiction. It is not right to interfere in it. Smartness and intelligence is in leaving fiction alone, and dealing with reality."
His friend and director Arun Kumar Aravind feels the same. “There has to be cinematic liberty. How an actor behaves -whether he should wear a helmet or not -depends on the character. And I don't feel the audience is dumb enough to think that if the hero doesn't wear a helmet, they should do the same. They know it's dangerous, they know there is a fine to pay. But if it becomes a law, we would of course obey it."
Regular movie-goers are divided in their opinion about the proposal.
Kochi-based techie Srijith V. says, “Film is a reflection of real life. If such a rule is to be applied, then the same should be done for violence and anything unethical/illegal shown in a movie. Like a murder or rape scene. And it will result in a permanent text box under the scene, 'Above scene is illegal, do no copy in real life'. Let the reality change, let there be a world where directors feel a helmet-less rider seems to be unreal. For that enforce the rule on real roads."
However Anjana V., a Technopark employee in Thiruvananthapuram, feels it is a good move. “I think the whole idea of having the helmet/seatbelt message is great as it would give as much public awareness as it creates for the no-smoking/drinking kills messages. Definitely, a heads up for the youth today."
