The Madhya Pradesh Nursing Association did not observe the International Nursing Day on Monday in protest against their objectionable and obscene depiction in the recently-released Bollywood film, Mastram, and demanded its ban in the state.
The nurses staged a silent protest and demanded ban on the film in the state. "The depiction of the story of a woman nurse's 'suhag raat' (first night after marriage) at the hospital is presented in very obscene and objectionable manner in the film. This depiction is damaging to the reputation of this profession," said Madhya Pradesh Nursing Association's (MPNA) Indore unit president, Ramesh Jaat.
He said that nearly 700 members of MPNA decided against observing the International Nursing Day in protest. Mastram is a fictional biopic directed by Akhilesh Jaiswal starring Kapil Dubey and Rahul Bagga.
Chairperson of the Madhya Pradesh Nursing Association Manju Meshram said, "Being a nurse is a respectable profession and should be looked with a sense of dignity. The film industry should know how to portray some aspects of life, what has been shown in this movie it is not acceptable and so we decided a silent protest against it." Elaborating further, she said, "The film industry should maintain this dignity." She also said that if strict action is not be taken the protest would be observed across the State.
The film is about a reluctant pornographic writer who aspires to be a litterateur, and is inspired by the anonymous author of popular pulp fiction and sex stories in Hindi, only known as Mastram. Jaat said that nursing students also joined the agitation seeking ban on the film. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Narottam Mishra said that he will consult the law Ministry on the issue, especially on imposing ban on the film.