Visual violence over visual love

One of the most vivid memories I have, of witnessing violence in cinema comes from a Malayalam film called 'Karumadi Kuttan' where the mentally disabled male protagonist is being physically abused by a bunch of goons to the point of him being stripped in public, laughed at, hit-all because the protagonist was trying to, in his own way protect a poverty stricken beautiful female that the goons wanted to violate.

Watching this film at the age of 9-10 damaged me severely and had my younger self believe that being mentally disabled and being female were severe disadvantages to the human species.

As I grew up I began to make a mental note as such, of films I was allowed to watch as a child. Coming from a largely conservative household my initial exposure to films belonged to the Malayalam language (native to Kerala, located at the South of India)

While I vehemently advocate Malayalam filmography to anyone willing to broach the subject, I also have to admit that my exposure to them, in my younger years was extremely fractured.

My parents held no qualms exposing me to violently racial, misogynistic content but, even now, as adults we cannot share the experience of a film that portrays healthy romantic love.

The depiction of rape was hugely rampant in older Indian film industry which, again, my parents were comfortable watching with me. But should the protagonists fall in love and express gentle, healthy forms of affection the channel would get changed.

It saddens me that visual violence had been and still is, more widely accepted as family viewing material as opposed to healthy depiction of visual love.

There's a thin line between love and hate it is said, but from where I stand it seems like a chasm of impossible breadth.