Should governments be allowed to ban filmsthat realistically
depict the patriarchal tendencies of their people? Is it right to
demand that thefilm be pulled from theaters because its premise is
subjective? Can such a ban really be effectivein the digital
age?
India faces many of these questions after a court banned Indias
Daughter, a UK-produceddocumentary, which covers the infamous 2012
gang rape in Delhi that shook the conscience ofthe entire
country.
Produced and directed by Leslie Udwin, the documentary, which
aired for the first time on BBCFour Wednesday night, prominently
features a key convict in the case. Udwin has flown out of
thecountry, fearing arrest. In the film, Mukesh Singh, awaiting
execution after being sentenced todeath by a special court last
year, justifies the crime and blames his victim. Singhs interview
hasenraged many in India. The BBC had planned to air the film on
Womens Day, March 8, but itmoved up the telecast after protesters
called for a ban.
Reactionary elements in the Indian media called into question
the morality and legality ofinterviewing a convict, who is awaiting
an appeals hearing. Bowing to public pressure, thegovernment opted
to ban the documentary. That move agitated opposition leaders,
whocondemned the governments decision and demanded that Delhi allow
screenings of the film.Some reports point to Delhis fears that the
documentary would diminish Indias internationalstanding.
But in Indias Daughter, Udwin seems most concerned with how the
male mindset operates in apatriarchal society. Singh is not the
only voice that reflects that sentiment: his lawyers seem toshare
the same views.
The documentary hasnt just angered members of the ruling
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)government, it has also offended womens
rights advocates, who were at the forefront of thepublic reaction
to the December 2012 incident, but for considerably different
reasons.
Indias Daughter Stirs Controversy | The Diplomat
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We dont agree that the government should ban the film because it
sullies Indias image, notesKavita Krishnan, a prominent womens
rights activist and secretary of the All India ProgressiveWomens
Association, in an interview with The Diplomat. Our argument is
that the documentarydoes not depict the larger conversation around
rape. It does not make a connection with thelarger debate about
rape culture in society. Krishnan was at the forefront of the
rallies thaterupted two years ago in the aftermath of the
incident.
Krishnan fears that the filmmakers are too concerned with the
minutiae of the case. Byhighlighting the interview of the convict,
the film reinforces the argument for execution. It movesthe
discourse away from the atrocities and a rape culture that
continues to be prevalent in Indiansociety.
Ankita Anand, a young activist and a vocal voice for womens
rights, echoes that sentiment. ToAnand, the title Indias Daughter,
is too paternalistic.
Im against the kind of censorship that allows speeches that
incite religious hatred but bans theuncomfortable questions that
show the state in the bad light, she says, adding that in cases
likethis, the filmmakers should have spent more time ensuring that
rights of the accused and thevictims were respected.
Anand is the founder of Aatish, a theatre group that aims to
bring voice to marginalized groups inIndian society. The outrage
that the documentary has incited is good if it makes us question
ourconduct, and gives us the courage to question institutions like
the family and marriage, which areoften the source of such
violence.
Badrinath Singh, father of the victim in the case, feels that
the documentary is not bad in tastebut short shrifts the main
issue. Still, he thinks that that the film is a mirror to society
andeveryone should watch it.
Certainly, the government has the power to ban the film. But it
cant ban the questions that Indiais asking.
Indias Daughter Stirs Controversy | The Diplomat
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