The entire nation is in shock after the news that a 15-year-old and another student were injured by a chainsaw and are critical after Friday’s attack in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district. After the incident, several users on social media questioned whether the recent A-rated films with a lot of bloodshed and gore play a key role in normalising such violence.
CM Naidu said he was “deeply shaken and enraged by the barbaric attack on a Class 10 student inside her classroom at Raptadu ZP (Zilla Parishad) High School. Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma came to the defense of films after several X users posted pictures and videos from recent releases like Animal and KGF to point out how these films show violence without consequence. Ram Gopal Varma wrote, “Blaming films for rise in violence is like , blaming Ramayana for rise in kidnappings. Cinema shapes perceptions, normalises behaviour and influences what audiences celebrate. “In a country like India, where cinema has an enormous influence on people’s mindsets, attitudes & perceptions, pretending that films cannot shape or reinforce social behaviour is nothing but intellectual dishonesty. “Attackers who target our young girls inside schools have no place in our society.
Another said, “Nobody is saying films directly cause crime but pretending cinema has zero influence on society is equally stupid. You can deny it all you want but masses do get influenced by it,” said a second user on X. I am personally tracking her recovery and have directed the medical team to give her the highest priority care,” he said in a post on X.
