STOCKHOLM SYNDROME IN INDIAN CINEMA

 Stockholm Syndrome 

Stockholm syndrome is a psychological condition where a victim feels an affection,  trust or a bonding towards a captor. Even after suffering abuses, the victim develops a psychological alliance with the captor and in most of the cases these types of emotional bonds are seem to be irrational.

The term was coined after a 6 days bank siege occurred in Stockholm, Sweden in august 1973. After the bank robbery, four employees of Sveriges Kredit Bank were held hostage for 6 days by two men in the bank vault.  But the strangest thing was,  after the release the hostages refused to testify against their captors as they developed an emotional bond to them.

From then, the condition of victims developing a psychological connection with their captors was termed as Stockholm Syndrome. Psychologists who studied the syndrome says that, this attachment to captor may develop due to

1) gratitude that the captor chose not to kill the captive
2) sympathy towards their captor's needs
3) moved by the act of rare kindness in the midst of horrible conditions

The Stockholm Syndrome is considered as a reaction or a survival mechanism to the shock of the victim. It is visible not only in the kidnapped victims but also in the victims of the domestic violence, abused children, war prisoners, cult members and procured prostitution.

Symptoms

* victim develop a positive feelings towards the captor
* victim develop a negative feelings towards police, family, friends or any person who try to help them to get away from their captor.
* anxiety, depression, insomnia, flashback, nightmares, confusion and trust issues.

Stockholm Syndrome in Indian Cinema 

Stockholm Syndrome was discussed in various films of multiple language and in varied context. In Indian films the disorder was presented as a subsidiary topic to the main action. No film has released with the central point focusing on the syndrome in India. The films that discussed the syndrome only portrayed it in few scenes to show the impact of abuses suffered by a main character. 

In the course of action, a kidnap or abuse occurs and the character display the symptoms of the Stockholm Syndrome. This limitation resulted in the less attention to the disorder and it was never be a hot topic for discussion or debate. The public sees cinema as a medium to know,  understand or feel things and situation around them. As the number of films focusing on Stockholm syndrome is less,  the Indian audience doesn't really got an indepth portrayal of such a serious issue.

Some of the Indian films focused on Stockholm Syndrome were
* Highway (Hindi 2014)
* Raavan (Tamil 2010)
* Aruvi (Tamil 2016)
* Chola (Malayalam 2019)
* Psycho (Tamil 2020)
* Forensic (Malayalam 2020)
* Penguin (Tamil 2020)

Most of these Indian films focus on one or two symptoms of Stockholm syndrome.  Highway is an exceptional Hindi movie in which the heroine, a kidnapped victim develop positive feelings towards her captor. When the first half of the film displays the act of kidnapping, while the second half completely focuses on how the girl romantically involved with her captor. She expresses the symptoms of the syndrome and hate every person who tries to help her to get away from him. The film shows how she trust him more than any other person including her family and friends. The film itself consists of a scene in which the police searches the captor's vehicle and the girl herself hide from them instead of taking their help. Later she is confused and surprised why she did that. She realizes that she started enjoy her captivity and the new sense of belonging. The psychological bond is so strong that she fantasizes a life and world with him. At the end the victim is shown shattered after the death of her captor and indulged in serious depression. 

At this time, Raavan a bilingual film directed by Mani Ratnam  shows how the kidnapped victim feels sympathy towards her captor as she thinks his needs are just. She develops an attachment to him and his family that she believes they will never harm her. But Aruvi,  a Tamil film released  in 2016 show a girl who keep few people (including her rapists)  in captivity for a few hours. During this time the victims develop a soft corner for her and feels sympathy towards her condition. Even in captivity they think they are responsible for her misfortunes. When they are rescued by the police they depart with an urge to see her again. All of them are continuously anxious about Aruvi's welfare. The film shows how the victims develop an inseparable connection with the person who threatened to kill them.

All these films mentioned above shows a warm side of the captor and becomes the most important reason for the victims to develop a positive feeling towards his or her. But 2019 released Malayalam film Chola is the best example for how a victim  who suffers continuous abuses and pain  feels an inevitable alliance with the her captor. Even after brutal rape and harm she obeys him without any objection or hesitation. She cries in pain but follows him wherever he goes, in the absence of of his command. She is never ready to go back to her home or any other safe places. A continuous sense of possession and fear controls her. 

When her lover kills the captor she cries immensely and cares his deadbody and later murders her lover by herself. The film ends when the girl is in abject confusion and anxiety who continues to stay beside her captor's body and losing her mind to an absolute state of subjugation. The end makes the audience wonders about the logic of her actions. So Chola can be said as the indian film which portrayed Stockholm syndrome in its fullest form. The film never shows any kind of understanding or kindness from the side of the villain. Still the victim feels obliged towards him even though it was risks her life. The bond takes only a few hours to form and last forever. The film won several awards and appreciation nationally and internationally as well.

Psycho, the Tamil movie released in 2020 shows sympathy developed by a kidnapped victim towards her captor as she came to know about his past and  sufferings. Even though she witnesses violent murders by him she decides to forgive him and never reveals his identity to any person including her family. She tries to protect him as she thinks one reason is enough to justify all his crimes. She even feels a motherly affection towards a person who have a complete obsession towards slaying and butchers people in front of her.

The last two films in 2020 based on Stockholm syndrome focuses on kids who were captured and trained to follow and obey captor's without any questioning. The Malayalam film Forensic shows a slight portion where a kidnapped child is filled with the fear and obey her captor's order without verifying the consequences. The bilingual film Penguin focuses on the search of a mother for her kidnapped child and the film shows how the kid is supremely controlled by his captor as he is psychologically submerged in the fear of her. He watches the captor attacking his mother without any reaction and follows all her commands. The boy develops a strong feeling towards her so that he can even sense her presence without even seeing her. When the captivity continues for years the boy seems to be completely ok with all the actions of his captor. He completes her commands like his he is hypnotized shows the depth of the the emotional and psychological effect of her in the kid.  The child shows the symptoms of anxiety,  depression, confusion and trust issues.

In most of the films that discussed Stockholm Syndrome focuses on a positive feeling developed by the victim or a complete surrender towards the captor because of the fear. And the majority of the films deals the syndrome as a subplot to the major action. The victims in these films are the children or women. No films shows a psychological comeback or any type of emotional surveillance or assistance given to the victims. In Indian cinema scenario the Stockholm Syndrome was not understood or expressed in a proper way when International films produced classic works to display such a serious issue.