By Manjit Bains, Chair, Women Empowerment Committee, Chetna Association of Canada &
Jai Birdi, General Secretary and Executive Director, Chetna Association of Canada
Buhey Bariyan (2023), directed by Uday Pratap Singh and starring Vancouver-based Punjabi film star Neeru Bajwa, is a Punjabi film on women empowerment and caste oppression that has faced a significant controversy in Punjab and social media.
Buhey Bariyan portrays a story of women who faced domestic and societal abuse.
One character in the film, played by Rubina Bajwa, is of the “Ravidassia” faith. She is a domestic worker, sexually exploited, physically abused, and verbally humiliated by a son of the village head, Sarpanch. This character is also reminded of her caste position in the society. Other characters in the film depict women who decide to leave the abusive conditions and become self-reliant, assertive, take political action, and challenge the status quo.
While Buhey Bariyan was receiving all positive comments and hailing the star cast and the production team, a controversy started about a week after the release when Dalit activists in Punjab saw Buhey Bariyan and felt the film portrays the Ravidassia community negatively and further divides the society along the caste lines. Some of these viewers also felt that showing a photo of Guru Ravidass, uttering casteist slurs in the dialogues, and reminding that the ancestors of the Dalit community were also abused or humiliated is not appropriate and singles out the Ravidassia community in the film.
While one can appreciate that some viewers are hurt, others have started to come out in support of Buhey Bariyan. One such person is Ashwini Pandori, a digital content creator and has a Facebook page that he uses to facilitate discussions of socio-political issues. Some of the questions he and others have raised are:
1. Has caste oppression in Punjab stopped? If not, what are the ways to bring those oppressing issues to the main media in order to spread awareness?
2. What is the role of the theatre and cinema and how can it be more effective?
3. What about the positive messages and inspiration that the film provides and urges women to unite and register complaints to the local authorities?
The film also sends a message of empowerment, acceptance, tolerance, and unity.
For example, the sister of the person who molested the Dalit woman strengthens the solidarity and the movement for emancipation. She stands along with the Dalit woman and all women and goes against her father, who is the village head and is from the upper caste.
Punjabi cinema has been criticised for not tackling the “real issues” or always promoting and celebrating the landowning classes. Buhey Bariyan certainly does not glorify any caste and in one scene, it actually makes a mockery of the caste system.
There are a few dialogues and scenes that could have been removed or reframed but banning the film is not the answer.
The film also fails at providing a strong conclusion. It would have been more effective to arrest all exploiters (the Sarpanch, his son, and other people of the village who instigated the offences) and follow through the judiciary system, including the Punjab States Scheduled Castes Commission and the National Commission for the Scheduled Castes. By doing so, it would have sent a strong message that caste based oppression is banned in Punjab and across the country and it is not accepted.
Parm Kainth, vice president of Ambedkarite International Coordination Society or AICS, a sister organization of Chetna Association of Canada, says: “While no project can be perfect or cover every perspective, film director could have been more sensitive and mindful of the sentiments of a community that has faced caste oppression for thousands of years in India”.
While the all star cast performed remarkably well, in context of the caste oppression, we commend Rubina Bajwa, for her remarkable portrayal of a woman who transforms herself from accepting dominance into a strong, determined person.
