Actress Dakota Johnson
Actress Dakota Johnson arrives at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California January 11, 2015. Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

The release of movie "Fifty Shades of Grey" is next month (February), but it is already being criticised for alleged violence against women. Morality in Media, an anti-pornographic watchdog group, is not happy that the movie, which has elements of bondage sex, has been given an R-rating. The group argues that giving an R-rating to the movie "severely undermines the violent themes in the film" and gives incomplete information to parents about the film's content.

The film adaptation of E L James' best-selling novel by the same name will be released on Feb. 13, 2015 with an R-rating. The erotic movie, which tells the story of a kinky billionaire Christian Grey and delves into the world of BDSM, was given an R rating by Motion Picture Association of America due to "strong sexual content including dialogue, some unusual behavior and graphic nudity," reveals Film Ratings. However, Morality in Media strongly opposes the term "unusual behavior" that is used in the description of the film. "What the term 'unusual' does not account for is the coercion, sexual violence, female inequality, and BDSM themes from which the entire Fifty Shades plot is based," reads the statement by the morality watchdog, according to Morality in Media, Porn Harms. The current evaluation puts viewers at risk as it sends them a wrong message where "humiliation and torture" are seen as means to pleasurable sex, says the website.

The non-profit organisation believes "Fifty Shades of Grey" not only promotes sexual torture but also encourages female inequality, stalking and abuse of power against women. The organisation feels the film also "glamorises and legitimizes violence against women." When the first trailer of the movie was released, the organisation criticised it saying that the film "deceived the people" with a story where sexual violence is considered glamorous. The film "Fifty Shades of Grey" has been in news ever since it started filming because of the content of BDSM. Producer Dana Brunetti told Daily Mail in December last year that the film might have two versions as he has been getting a lot of requests from female fans on his Twitter who want a "dirty version." The current version is not as "dirty" as the novel, added Dana.

Though the Morality for Media group wants MPAA to make the rating of the film from R to NC 17, the actors in the film are convinced that the content of the film is not sexually explicit. Jamie Dornan, who plays Christian Grey in the film, told The Irish Independent in September last year that the film is not "hardcore" as the makers did not want to target specific audience by making it sexually explicit. The actor also assured that he would not have signed for the film if it was hardcore and "grotesque.

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