India
India’s daughter documentary snow balls into controversy, banned in India.

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transitionofthoughts.com
It is a shame that at a time when India is projecting itself as a world super power and a country when women are seen heading top corporate is unable to tackle the issue of women safety and issues related with it.
The latest being the “India’s Daughter” a documentary film that has kicked up a storm based on the 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder of the 23 old physiotherapy women, the woman was named by media as “Nirbhaya” or fearless, and became a symbol for India’s fight to check crimes against women. The documentary features the opinion of one of the convicts of the gang rape in Delhi were interviewed in prison in Delhi where he awaits his death sentence.
India’s daughter is part of the BBC’s ongoing story Ville series directed by Film maker Leslee Udwin, the Documentary film was to be broadcasted on March 8 commemorating International Women’s Day in India on the popular New Delhi Television (NDTV) that was banned Nirbhaya documentary saying that it is not in the interest of the country and feared a public outcry.
Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) obtained a court order on 4 March 2015, banning the broadcast justifying that it aims at protecting and ensuring that the sensibilities of women in the country is paramount.
The Filmmaker Leslee Udwin, who directed India’s Daughter, has rejected claims by the Indian Government that the documentary contained offensive remarks towards women, and could cause a public outcry as told by her in BBC interview.
Brushing aside Indian protests, the BBC has telecasted the documentary; India has no jurisdiction over BBC 4 which has already aired the documentary.
Mass Media, especially Cinema has historically played a huge and a pivotal role in shifting mindsets of the masses and classes in India and shaping our society. Women have been always projected as a weak gender and even in films if a woman is raped the only option left for her to kill herself, largely believed that she brings shame to the family and it is a social stigma to report the issue seeking justice.
Whenever films have touched on sensitive issues show casing hard realities of Indian society be it oppression of women, child marriage, dowry deaths, women trafficking so on…. have been center of controversy and on many occasions banned.
Indian cinema and films were recently showcased worldwide celebrating 100 years of cinema with pomp and gaiety not only in India but around the world. The popular love stories of India have carved a niche of itself worldwide and successfully able to entertain and enthrall audience worldwide not only in India but in US, UK, Russia, Canada, Poland, Middle East and African countries, but hard hitting movies run into controversy.
The world was shocked and horrified by the Delhi gang rape in 2012 when the victim was gang raped and brutally thrown out of a moving bus, the incident open the Pandora box and the loop holes in the system and the way we pursue women safety and security.
The outraged that followed across the nation after the incident forced the Delhi Police and judicial system to enforce stringent laws and punish the culprits.
The incident caught the attention worldwide was able to put tremendous pressure on the authorities on safety and security issues and demanded measure the curb the menace.
Various mediums and platforms openly began discussing the issue of women’s safety in India worldwide.
Dr, Vikrant Kishore a documentary film maker and Faculty of Communication and Media Production, University of New Castle, Australia, said that documentary that brings to fore the heart wrenching story of Rape crimes against women in India and how we how we as a society treat women.
He personally feels that the documentary is interesting way it has interwoven various point of views, especially of victims parents, the perpetrator of the crime, their family members, and the defence lawyers. He feel it is a timely documentary to initiate a discussion and debate about the heinous rape crimes, which we hear on a daily basis in India, since the release and online posting of the documentary India’s daughter. There has been huge online response through various social media and networking sites, most of them praising the film and few trying to rip it apart calling it a shoddy piece of work and some even labelling it sensationalistic and full of lies.
Dr. Kishore says he does not find it sensationalistic, as it is in the nature of the subject of the documentary that was ought to make people take notice, also probably the Indian media picked up the story of the documentary and brought the discussion on prime time television, which attracted major attention for the documentary. In this instance the Indian government thought it would tarnish the reputation of India. But then why was the Indian government silent on another BBC documentary on the same rape case that was produced in 2013, which was rather harshly titled – India: A Dangerous Place To Be A Woman?
But if the Indian governments objection to the documentary and the filmmaker is about the non compliance of the rules and regulations of the country to conduct the shoot… then the government has full right to take any action against the documentary.
Professor Karuna Kaushik, feels that it is a shame India being the largest democracy is trying to curtail freedom and power of social media. After the Film was uploaded on Youtube and went viral it was banned and youngsters began a discussion on social media. For a healthy democracy a open media and a platform to air ones views is vital, she adds.
Shiva Ranjini, a school teacher working in Bangalore also a mother of young daughter fears the safety of her child. Recalling the incident where a young six year old girl was raped in school, she feels that the government to wake up to the horrendous crime and tackle the issue seriously rather banning films.
Unfortunately, fearing a public uproar and outlawed by the Indian authorities on the grounds of “objectionable content” and rapists are being glorified in the documentary the issues snow balled into controversy, the Indian government directed Youtube India to block the Video in India.
Activists of leading Women’s organisation All India Mahila Samskruthika Sanghatane (AIMSS) leader Poornima staged protest against Nirbhaya case convict Mukesh Singh in Mysore on International Women’s day, they also opposed the permission to interview Singh as part of a documentary on Nirbhaya.
According to her interviewing and documenting the convict’s version is encouraging the convict to shift the blame on the victim? “This indicates the psyche of the male dominated society, which should be protested,” she said. The documentary was made with prior permission and full support of victim’s parents, who wanted to expose the atrocious crime and the loop holes in the system. Even after three years incidents like rapes have not come down. According to the National Crime Records Bureau statistics 93 women are raped in India every day and child sexual abuse occurs at horrifying levels and is massively under reported.
The government is now questioning the permission documents that the filmmaker obtained to get the jailhouse interview and reviewing procedures for access those in jail, which could set a dangerous precedent.
Bar Council of India did not waste any time and reacted quickly and issued a show-cause notice to defence lawyers of four convicts in the Delhi Gang Rape 2012 for their offensive remarks in the film.
Babita Menon, a young medical student by feels ashamed that she is living in a country that shy’s away from the reality that the horrendous crime is part of the society and takes place every day.
She strongly advocates that the documentary should be viewed by every citizen of the country to understand and get a clear perspective on the mind set of men who think raping women is their birth right. In a civilized society creating an awareness and further discussion is necessary to challenge many notions and change the culture, the documentary will not result in increase in the number of rapes. It can facilitate more and more women to come forward and report cases of rapes as more and more women break the cycle of shame.
The convict openly speaks his mind and expresses his views that is deep rooted in our society and reflects Indians culture. Babita strongly we need to change the attitudes of police, who perpetuate the “shame on the woman” myth by discouraging women to report rapes. We need to change laws to reflect the equal status of women in India and provide the resources they need to protect themselves.
Banning books, films or controversial speech has long been a government tactic to suppress free speech and limit scrutiny. This is not the first time a film is banned in India and public outcry is seen, many protests were organized against the film Slumdog Millionaire that won Oscar awards and internationally appreciated. The public protest and outcry was that India was showcased badly and on the grounds that it intentionally exploited the poor for the purposes of profit, also arguing that the title Slumdog Millionaire is offensive, demeaning, and insulting to their dignity.
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