Provoked

by Yuki

Released in the UK last year, Provoked is the story of Kiranjit Ahluwalia's struggle with domestic violence and the legal battle that unfolded after her horrific act of self-defense against her husband.  Kiranjit, known as Kiran, and her new husband Depak come from traditional Indian families and enter into an arranged marriage, starting their new life in Southall, London.  Not long after, Depak (Naveen Andrews from "Lost") begins to beat and sexually assault his wife, spending their money to fund his increasing alcoholism and affairs while Kiran struggles to raise their two young sons.  The abuse continues for ten years until one night after being roughed up for the last time, a dazed and shaken Kiran pours oil on her sleeping husband's feet and sets him on fire.  He dies soon after in the hospital, and Kiran is put in jail. Once in prison, she ironically experiences a sense of freedom that she had never felt while under the watch of her husband, and her character begins to grow and breath.  This irony is perhaps the most poignant message of the film.

A highly charged topic like abuse is always tricky to put to film.  Like any movie that deals with racism, or class lines, or any gross injustice with a social and political message, it bares the burden of conveying a lesson without sacrificing any storytelling, and that is where most movies, including this one, fall short.  The result is that Provoked has the look and feel at times of a made-for-TV movie, or one of those films about bulimia that I watched in a high school social studies class.

Another added challenge with this particular film is that it is based on Ahluwalia's true life story and her book, "A Circle of Light," a 500-page autobiography, and therefore strove (admirably) to include as many aspects of her story as possible.  But her story is not an easy one to contain.  Woven in among the framework of the legal battle (the judge's final decision changed the nature of England's provocation law) the movies includes bits of culture clash between Kiran's Indian background and her new life in London, and features a motley crew of female inmates, each with a poorly sketched story, who befriend Kiran in jail.  The Southall Sisters, the activist group who organized rallies and garnered media attention for Kiran's cause, were also given substantial roles.  But unfortunately none of the themes brought up were fleshed out enough to seem worthwhile.

For its social and political role, the film is certainly worth seeing. Aishiwara Rai, the rising Indian star and former Miss World who has made her mark in Bollywood films, is quite captivating as the young wife and mother.  Rai plays the role of a woman living a nightmare with a calm inner strength that keeps her from appearing too victimized. The scenes of violence are gripping, but never gratuitous.  Andrews' portrayal of the abusive husband Depak is done with pathos.  Miranda Richardson is a pleasure to watch as Ronnie, Kiran's intimidating cellmate who turns out to have a lot in common with her.

In the end, Aishwarya's performance kept me watching, and if it hadn't been for her sensitive portrayal the film would have been frankly boring.  Perhaps it could have been more satisfying if the film chose one aspect to mine instead of trying to touch a little bit on everything.