Movie Review: ‘Shaapa’ - Child Abuse That Bleeds Throughout A Lifetime

Source: Wikipedia

Introduction

Movie’s Name - Shaapa 

Director’s Name -  Ashok Patil 

Genre - Movie 

Language - Kannada 

A Short Summary

A 2001 film starring Ramesh Aravind and Anuprabhakar tells a story of love. Based on the psychological thriller written by Hamsalekha Sir, Ashok Patil filmed and directed it. The story depicts the psychological state of a young boy who has been blamed since he was a child for everything that goes wrong at home. 

A childhood memory of an abusive father which haunts him throughout his life, resulting in a tragic outcome is beautifully narrated. Throughout the film, it is emphasized that thoughts actually manifest reality.

About the Director

Ashok Patil is an Indian film director, who has worked predominantly in the Kannada movie industry. Ashok has worked in popular movies like 9 To 12, Joke Falls. In the category of Best Screenplay, he won the Karnataka State Award for Shaapa.

Source: FilmiBeat 

About the Movie

A state award-winning movie from 2001. Directed by Ashok Patil, Hamsalekha's story showcases a melody in every track. It won four state awards in Karnataka in a variety of categories including Best Screenplay (Ashok Patil), Best Actress (Anu Prabhakar), Best Cinematography (Ashok Kashyap), and 2nd Best Film (Ashok Patil). Furthermore, it won  The Cine Express Award for Best Actress (Anu Prabhakar). 

Psychological Analysis

The movie narrates the story of an unfortunate guy. Despite falling in love with a girl, he is afraid to express his love for her. While she loves him, unfortunately, she gets married to another man from Chennai. The story is juxtaposed with the Kaveri issue between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. 

The narration stresses the power of thoughts to create reality. Life can be framed in a positive frame of mind by embracing hope. Furthermore, it shows how destructive life would become if we were to think negatively.

Psychiatric counseling is also an important aspect not to be overlooked. Scenes in the film explain the importance of one-on-one counseling in the treatment of mental illness. As a matter of fact, this may be what the world needs now. According to the movie, the key to a happy life is the ability to tame one's thoughts.

The movie also discussed the importance of music as a therapy for happiness. Melody makes us feel calm and happy. Music lovers are also less prone to depression, so this makes sense.

Sometimes, we fondly recall the incidents of our lives, whether they were positive or negative. The incidents that comfort us, bring us immense pleasure. Likewise, negative incidents are devastating. The pleasure of any positive event diminishes day by day, but the pain of a negative event doubles. Negative incidences, therefore, have a greater influence. The screenplay has clearly narrated this.

One's life is greatly impacted by the words of near and dear ones. The discouraging father's words end up damaging the life of his son in this movie. As a result, we can see the importance of nurturing in parenting. 

The movie emphasizes the importance of understanding child psychology. One can see how the scar of a childhood memory has been a source of influence in one's life. Better childhood memories lead to better adulthood.  Filter coffee is narrated by the director who does not miss the opportunity. Coffee lovers will easily relate to this.  

   

The Bottom Line

A couple of important points are brought to the fore in this movie, which holds our interest throughout. The first is the juxtaposition of the characters in the movie with the River Kaveri issue between Karnataka and Tamilnadu. In this situation, Shekar represents Karnataka, while Ravi represents Chennai in the battle for Kaveri.

Secondly, one's thoughts are influential. Shekar's father's words haunt him in his mind and represent a scar that haunts him for most of his life. If you are a fan of sober music, then never miss watching this film. After this, you may develop a love for coffee as well. Most importantly, if you think negatively most of the time, this brings in a strong feeling needed to be optimistic. 

My ratings for the movie - 4.5 on 5

Written By - Dr. Nayana Shree Suresh