Mirch Masala is this great film by Ketan Mehta – shot completely in shades ofearths and reds. Starring Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Deepti Naval and a whole host of incredible actors, Mirch Masala is the story of a woman Sonbai – Smita Patil – who is coveted by the Tax Collector – played in complete form by Naseeruddin Shah. And what the tax collector wants, the tax collector gets. But, the story is not that simple. Sonbai turns down his advances and appeals to the men in the village for help. However, they have been rendered helpless & impotent in the face of the Subedar’s power. So, Sonbai takes refuge in a chilli factory run by women. And using women power, mirch masala – the dry red chillis of the title – and kitchen stuff, they fight off the tax collector and restore honour to the village.

Over the weekend, I read this story of a mob of 400 women who did more or less the samething in Nagpur. They sorrounded a local goon – Akku – used chilli powder and household utensils and beat him to death. He, they claim, raped and terrorised the women folk in the locality and the men were powerless to do anything about it.

‘He had made life miserable for the women and girls in the locality. He would rape anyone at will, be it a 10-year-old girl, teenagers, married women, even those pregnant. Extorting money and beating up men had become routine. He would walk free on bail soon after every arrest. Tired of his excesses, we decided to kill him,”

The police were rendered helpless because the system is so geared that a clever lawyer can beat it. The menfolk of the basti were rendered helpless and impotent by the power of Akku and his goons. So the women decided to take the law into their own hands.

There is a part of me that is horrified at the incident. That is the academic part of me that believes in the Constitution, the System and the works. But, there is another part of me – the woman part of me which is most of me – that cheers for these women.