Rohit Shetty responds to Simmba criticism: I have had 10 blockbusters, don't need to use rape as a plot device

Rohit Shetty’s _Simmba_ crossed the Rs 200 crore mark in the second week of its release. However, despite opening to huge numbers, the film was criticised by some for allegedly only paying lip service to women’s rights. In an interview with Film Companion, Shetty defended the ending of the film, which struck a negative chord with some viewers who said the film had a sexist overtone. [caption id=“attachment_5863441” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Rohit Shetty. Image via Twitter/@anupamachopra[/caption] In the interview, Anupama Chopra brings up one particular scene in which the lady judge presiding over Simmba’s (played by Ranveer Singh) case blames the rapist mother for her son’s misdeed. Chopra asked the filmmaker as to why a woman was being blamed for something done by a man. Shetty, in his defence, said he did not have to use rape as a plot device to harp about women’s rights as he had delivered 10 blockbusters and already proven his mettle as a filmmaker. He also said that one cannot over-analyse things. He also shared a rather controversial point of view by endorsing police encounters. “When a Nirbhaya incident happens, you have to shoot the criminals. You have to create that fear. Encounter killings are not problematic to me. I’m clear about that.” He justified his point of view by saying that people are now scared to drink and drive but not rape because the laws are not strict enough and a strong precedent has not been set. He also added that it was easy to hold candle marches and write blogs about an incident, however, one would never actually know what the survivor or their family must be going through.