Though Chithha revolves around child sexual abuse, it largely tells you a story of the unconditional love the protagonist, Eeswaran has for his niece. After his brother dies, he is the one taking care of his sister-in-law and her daughter, Sundari.
Eeswaran, a government employee, is way too protective of his niece and also her friend, Ponni. Everything is going smooth and good in their lives when suddenly, one day, Ponni’s family gets to know that she has been sexually assaulted and as she was last seen with Eeswaran, the family thinks that he is her abuser. Though his sister-n-law and Shakti, his love interest, believes in him, this misunderstanding breaks him down. Fortunately, the misunderstandings get cleared soon and the family realises that Eeswaran isn’t Ponni’s abuser. The family, including Eeswaran, is now looking for the culprit.
Before this case is resolved, we see that Sundari goes missing. Eeswaran along with his friend starts the search operation himself. The police are involved but he takes it upon himself to find Sundari. From all the previous cases, Eeswaran and his friend tries to understand the criminal’s psychology and comes to the conclusion that Sudari will not be killed only till the criminal finds another victim.
One fine day, while the cops and Eeswaran, along with his friend, are looking for Sundari, the criminal who is travelling along with this child to another place, senses that the police are on the lookout and leaves the girl behind in an autorickshaw. A lady co-passenger then senses that something is not right with the girl and informs the police who are stopping and investigating the vehicles and travellers on the road.
As the police take Sundari in custody and run towards the hospital, Eeswaran recognises her and rushes to be by her side. As she gets into the hospital, we get to know that she has been brutally assaulted – to an extent where she doesn’t even allow her beloved Uncle to touch her. In all honesty, the girl is only traumatised and doesn’t recognise anyone but this breaks Eeswaran to the core.
He then makes up his mind that he will kill the culprit himself. That is how the movie ends. We see Eeswaran stab Ponni’s assaulter and then we see that after two years, the police finds a body in the similar way the bodies of some of the victims were found. Somewhere, this tells us that Eeswaran smartly took a backseat in the last two years and might have well-planned the murder of Sundari’s assaulter.
The Beauty Of Chithha
Chithha is the exact opposite of Gargi. Where in Gargi, your heart keeps breaking for the old man who has been held responsible for a minor’s rape and you are made to believe that a man like Brahmanandam is capable of committing the crime. In Chithha, we see how there are good men around, who genuinely protect and safeguard women but bear the brunt nonetheless. This man can be a part of your family or a friend or a relative or just someone you know. Given the fact that the abuse against women is on the rise, will you trust him? Unless and until he is proven innocent, will you give him the clean chit?
Chithha asks a lot of questions, and all of those are valid. Where this man has been the caretaker of his brother’s family, where they feel the safest, including the brother’s young wife is under the scanner for such a heinous crime that involves kids he loves the most is heartbreaking to watch. But again, if you recall the scene where Sundari’s mother explains to her about good and bad touch, where with a heavy heart, she is seen telling her child that even if her Uncle touches her at places he shouldn’t be touching, she should inform her. This is exactly how it is in real life.
More than the men whose heart this conversation between mother and daughter breaks, it breaks women down to the core. Can there be a man around she trusts? Sometimes, not even her father or the husband are the people she feels safe with. Anyway, this is a never ending trauma for women and also, the men who we should truly believe in but given the circumstances, cannot. That is what Chithha is all about.
For the brilliance this film is, you should, definitely, watch it.
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