'Guilty': The Rape Story Doesn't Have Novelty But Kiara Advani Steals the Show

What is one common thing about all the stories we have heard or seen about a rape victim and the culprit? The victim tries her best to protect her character from being jeopardized in the long and tedious procedure of proving that the culprit is really the culprit.

Netflix Indian web film Guilty starts on a different note owing to the fact that the incident takes place amidst the #MeToo movement. The movement did give courage to many women out there to speak for themselves and social media was flooded with women coming out and speaking for themselves but in some cases it was also considered that the victims are seeking attention. 

Set in a college meant for the privileged students (St. Martin, Delhi University), Guilty is about a privileged student VJ who is accused by a scholarship student from Dhanbad, Tanu Sharma ( Akanksha Ranjan) of raping her on Valentine’s Day. But the #MeToo movement and clear depiction of Tanu having a major crush on college heartthrob, VJ makes the scenario look much more complicated. The case highlighted the fact that #MeToo movement was used by opportunistic women to set a trap for privileged men. Considering this it was nearly proved that Tanu can cross any boundaries for seeking attention and the 120 hour film convinces the audience to believe the same for more than half of the film.    

Guilty like Pink gives out a loud and clear message that confident and loud girls wearing revealing clothes do not give ‘rape me’ signals. The story is quite predictable with Tanu voicing her concern and not being concerned with the privilege VJ had. 

VJ on the other hand leaves no stone unturned In proving himself innocent. The film goes on to show the loopholes of the system that we already know about but fail to notice them. This has been depicted very well in a scene when a man is masturbating at a metro station and a blind man passes by.

What makes Guilty watch worthy is the complexity of its characters. Kiara Advani has nailed the character of Nanki Dutta. Nanki who playes a songwriter of college band and VJ’s girlfriend can be as a fragile character with some issues. This can be sensed when Nanki is obsessed over the fact that she spotted blood on Tanu’s hands and her brief incomplete sessions with Danish, the investigating officer of the case. The strong side of Nanki’s personality can be seen in the later part of the movie when she learns the real story of Tanu behind the one that was being shown. The remarkable part of the film is her monologue which makes you believe that you are guilty for not looking at things from a different perspective.

Netflix's Guilty can be termed to be a one time watch as a reminder to all those people who act blind folded when it comes to see the flawed system we have. Watch it for Kiara who has done justice to her strong and bold character with her through provoking speech in the end. The end of the film will certainly raise the question of where does women empowerment stand in our country.

Rating:- 3.5/5