David Whiso
There has been little research addressing the long-term repercussions of male sexual assault on other males, even though the long-term ramifications of male sexual abuse of women have been thoroughly examined. Having said that, the 2019 award-winning Manipuri film The Foul Truth : Amakpa Achumba, directed by Priyakanta Laishram, demonstrated along with the statistics that the percentage of male rape is higher than the percentage of female rape in India, and that’s even without accounting for all the unreported cases.
The film, which was also the first ever film from Northeast India to address the subject of male rape, delves deeply into the patriarchy that predominantly exists in our society and how the culture of victim blaming and shaming has resulted in numerous unintended consequences.
Priyakanta Laishram, who was also subjected to sexual assault by two men in real life while attending school in Chandigarh, played a boy named ‘Thoithoiba‘, a survivor of male rape, in the movie.
Speaking about the movie, Laishram said, “It is hard for the male survivors to tell someone that they have experienced sexual abuse because of the stereotypes about masculinity. Those thousands of tortured individuals whose voices and cries have been silenced by society were brought to light through this film.”
The 27-minute short film charts the horrifying tale of a boy named Thoithoiba, whose mental, emotional, and physical state has been entirely shattered by his own uncle’s ongoing sexual assault on him since he was a child. When the going gets tough, neither the boy’s family nor the college where he attends provide him with the protection he needs. In a situation where an atmosphere of apparent well-being is frequently challenged by an air of poison, protectors are often only one bad decision away from becoming predators.
“The movie explored several facets of the wrongdoings in our society and sought to highlight numerous underlying problems that contribute to a wide range of undesirable outcomes,” Laishram stated.
Laishram received multiple acting accolades for his performance at film festivals like the Symbiosis Allied Media Awards, World Freedom Film Festival, Short Motion Pictures Wave National Festival 2019, etc., in addition to receiving various accolades including Best Film On Social Cause and Best Screenplay.
The movie, which was released on June 2, 2019, also featured significant performances by Rojesh Saikhom, Harry Tourangbam, Sophia Sapam, Harendra Laishram, and Caroline Laishram. The film’s music was composed by Whitesand Music, and it was written, produced, edited, and directed by Priyakanta Laishram under the production label Priyakanta Productions.