Not just women, men are victims too: Anupamaa takes a powerful stand on male harassment, Rupali Ganguly applauds the makers

Mumbai: Deepa Shahi and Rajan Shahi’s Anupamaa has time and again highlighted relevant issues that have gripped the society. In a bold new narrative, the makers are introducing a thought-provoking sequence about abuse against men that is often unnoticed and unsaid. Television dramas have mostly shown women as the victim in domestic conflicts, while men are referred to as the perpetrator. And though violence against women is an undeniable reality, men too suffer in silence.
Anupamaa’s latest episode highlights this uncomfortable truth. In the new track, Moti Baa’s niece Kirti is shown playing the perfect caring wife to her husband Kapil; however, behind closed doors, she is manipulating, blackmailing, and torturing her husband. Kapil is unable to gather up the courage to reveal this difficult truth not only because he is a man, and people generally don’t see men as victims, but also because his wife has painted such a picture-perfect image of herself that people will not accept his side of the story.

Anupamaa, who is known for standing up for what is right regardless of the gender and societal norms, begins noticing certain patterns that make her believe that Kapil is in pain. She refuses to accept Kirti as a green flag and keeps track of the signs of red flags. She doesn’t blindly support Kirti just because she is a woman but chooses to stand by the truth.
In a powerful confrontation, Anupamaa exposes Kirti in front of the family. She not only breaks the silence that often surrounds male victims but also creates awareness that abuse is not defined by gender. The scene becomes a milestone not just for the story but also for the viewers.
This sequence is particularly important in today’s times when some men are finally coming out and talking about the abuse they are facing, while some still choose to be in silence because they are asked to “man up.”
With this new track, Anupamaa has once again proved that it reflects the society in the truest sense by even focusing on the unsaid and unnoticed issues. The show continues to evolve beyond entertainment and inspire the audience by starting conversations around uncomfortable issues.
Sharing her thoughts on the track, lead actress Rupali Ganguly, who plays the titular character, said, “The makers of Anupamaa need to be applauded for bringing up topics and for speaking about topics that are still taboo and still spoken in hushed tones in our society. They are bringing that into light and using Anupamaa as a mouthpiece speaking against atrocities and against men. There are a lot of unspoken things that happen in society that need to be spoken about, and I am so proud to be a part of DKP, of Rajanji’s vision, and to be his mouthpiece, to be the mouthpiece of the writers who have very boldly taken up these issues to highlight. And Anupamaa has always been associated with raising a voice for what is happening in society, vis-à-vis, chahe wo kisan wala topic ho, chahe wo bargain nahin karne wala topic ho Diwali par, adjustments, the stray animals, unko feed karne ke liye, gaumata ki seva karo, chahe wo dogs ko roti khilao, pakshiyon ko dana dalo (be it a farmer-related topic, be it a non-bargaining topic on Diwali, adjustments, feeding the stray animals, serve the cow, be it feeding rotis to dogs, or feeding grains to birds.)”
“So in every which way we have tried to send a message across to the society, trying to empower parents, trying to empower women, trying to show the right path to children. So it is very heartwarming and very proud for me that I get to voice this thought out of the makers, which is talking about male abuse, husband abuse, domestic violence, and the husband being the victim,” she concluded.