Boy meets girl, girl says not interested, but boy still pursues her - in the end boy weds girl and they live happily ever after. Sounds familiar? This is the premise of most Bollywood movies in the 90s. Even oflate such stories have gained momentum and become blockbuster hits overnight. Which brings us to the question - Are movies intentionally or unintentionally glorifying stalking? Are our movies feeding on this stalking sydrome? Is it a good thing to teach our youth? Parents say even if the movies don't have an A rating, they still exercise parental control over some movies that explicitly show stalking and pursuing, especially in a good light. 

It is not the greatest of influence agree parents  

Last week my daughter said she was excited to watch Varun Dhawan woo his lady love in the upcoming Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya... there are reports that the movies has already grossed over 1 crore even before reaching the cineplex. But I am not sure if I will allow my dauhgter to watch the film. It is not the greatest of subjects. Wonder why would filmakers deal with such gross subjects in the first place, says Swathika Ganesh from Chennai. There are other parents who have pledged to stay away from this film. 

"They are at an impressionable age, I don't see why I should expose my children to this kind of a subject. In the movies, stalking is shown as a good thing and at the end, the hero wins his lady love. Is this a precedence we are setting? Are we trying to say that its ok to stalk?," says Prerna Singh, mother of a 14-year old teenager. Singh recalls the day when she saw the movie Darr and was deeply saddened that the heroine didn't fall for her obssesive lover. "Our sympathies went for the anti-hero. And that is not good," she said. 

It's Not Only An Actor Who Stalks And Gets Away 

There are actresses who are shown to be stalkers too and get away with all the sobs. Pyar Tune Kya Kiya is one such film where it is a girl who is shown as pursuing the actor and she walks away with a filmfare award. Psychologists say watching such films create a virtual world for people and they think everything is possible. "I have seen multiple cases where the victim feels intimidated because she thinks the stalker will get away with every harm. Victims feel going to the police doesn't solve problems," Dr Rajpal Arora, a clinical psychologist says.

Do They Feel Stalking Is Glorified? 

In many movies, stalkers are shown in a good light. They walk away with the tears and the heroine. All's well that end's well. This happens in a movie but many take it in the literal context. They start replicating this behaviour and face the brunt. There is no second chance that life offers.

Deepika Baijal, class XII, LPS, Noida 

There is no doubt that movies glorify anti heroes. It is upto us as an audience to understand what is real and what isnt. You cannot blame the movies for everything. 

Ritika Singhal, class XI, Vishwa Bharti School 

Stalking is a crime and it should be treated as such. But what the movies do is that they dilute the extent of their crime by making the stalker look like a hero. It's time we shun this. 

Ashutosh Mukherjee, class VIII, Don Bosco Public School 

I still remember how we all loved SRK in Darr. He was the epitome of romance. When we look back, it dawns upon us that stalking is actually a bad thing. It is something that shouldn't have been justified. Even in Raanjhana, all sympathies are with Dhanush. Although I agree that this was the movies, there is no denying the fact that subjects like this has a bearing on us. 

Ashmita Sen, class X, DPS International 

Do You Get Influenced By The Movies? Do You Think Our Movies Glorify Stalking? Let Us Know