Violent films and web series like “Dexter” driving youth to crime and murder: Centre for Wellness & Healthy Living

MUMBAI: According to a joint ‘Caution Statement’ issued by Mumbai-based Dr Pranav Kabra and the Centre for Wellness & Healthy Living (CWHL), there should be a suitable restriction on the easy availability (among youth) of violent films and web series like Dexter that promote gore, violence and multiple rapes and murders in a film or serial/episode.

The Centre for Wellness & Healthy Living conducted a survey among 1500 youth between the age of 18 to 45 in various cities, towns and villages of India over the last two months. Youth from various social, educational and financial demographics were interviewed by the CWHL and the results were astounding.

Almost 78 percent of the interviewed youth said they were influenced and affected by violence, rapes, murders and other forms of gore on Television and Cinema, Dr Pranav Kabra, who is the managing director of the Raksha Multispeciality Hospital at Malad in suburban Mumbai said.

OTT (Over The Top) platforms like Netflix and Alt Balaji were instrumental in influencing youth when it came to sex and sleaze, including leading a promiscuous life with several sex partners over a short span of time, while other international shows and films created an affinity for violence and murder.

Dr Kabra the co-ordinator for the survey, opined that OTT platforms were influencing youth to a great extent and it is obvious that the Delhi murder accused Aftab Amin Poonawalla was also similarly influenced by violence and gore on screen in various murder and crimes episodes that he must have watched during the lockdown periods in 2020 and 2021.

According to psychiatrists, a continuous or daily heavy exposure to violent video clips, can be a risk factor for violent behavior and a tendency to kill and we have seen the horrible case of the Shraddha Walkar murder by her own live-in partner Aftab Amin Poonawalla.

According to Dr Pranav Kabra of the Raksha Multispeciality Hospital in Mumbai, Aftab Ameen Poonawalla who killed his live-in partner and chopped her body into 35 parts, probably had an inborn psychiatric disorder called homicidal ideation also known as blood thirst and was homicidally aggressive by nature, which was further agitated by watching violence and gore on films.

“Looking at the number of relationships or affairs the man had over a period of 3-4 years as per media reports, he seems to be a sex maniac as well, on the lookout for his next victim,” Dr Kabra said.

Watching films and web series like “Dexter” facilitated the development of Poonawalla’s sociopathic and homicidal tendencies, Dr Kabra opines, adding that Poonawalla’s behaviour was further driven to homicide due to his constant fights with his girlfriend.

Dr Shailesh V Prasad, a psychiatrist with a prominent hospital in Mumbai says, “youth are getting more and more aggressive and films, web series and the internet have a huge role to play. Some youth are hooked to video streaming and broadcasting platforms, watching 10-15 serials or episodes each day. This has a major impact on their mental well-being and something needs to be done about this or we may have many more Poonawallas’ in our country.”