The film INDIA'S DAUGHTER: From its making to controversy to the winning of awards! The whole story here!

 India’s daughter was the film on the brutal gang rape that happened in Delhi, India on the night of 16 December 2012. The documentary film of Leslee Udwin had created quite a furore in the Indian Parliament. Was there any reason for it?

About the film

Documentary film

It details the brutal gang-rape that happened in New Delhi, India on the night of 16 December 2012 on a moving bus. The victim was a 23-year-old physiotherapy student named Jyoti Singh who was with her boyfriend. The two had gone to watch a movie with the permission of their parents and were returning from the film when they, unfortunately, boarded a bus that had 5 people in it and a driver. They thought that the people inside were passengers but they were the male street ruffians/bullies who turned rapists that night. They had the male egos that are not uncommonly seen in the men of that country who think that women are inferior to them. The girl’s male friend was also badly attacked and injured. She was treated at Delhi and Singapore but succumbed to the brutal attack inflicted on her internal organs on 29 December 2012. There were six accused in the case. One was 17 years old and under the Juvenile Act was given three years of imprisonment and let go scot-free with a new name and location that is kept a secret from everyone!!! So accused are given protection and a royal treatment on that land and the victims are left to die and blamed for the act!!! One another rapist committed suicide in the jail. Four were found guilty and hanged this year.

The film also portrays the bad and extremely conservative mentality of the four rapists who had no sign of repentance even after they were arrested and imprisoned. It also showcases how the lawyers in that country lack professionalism and talk cheaply about females.

Concept

Leslee Udwin set off to make a documentary film on the actual incident and wanted to provide a platform for the activists to voice their complaints so that the whole world can hear it and decide. Leslee also wanted to study the mentality of the rapists in doing such a heinous crime and feeling no regrets at the end of it. She was certain and adamant that she wanted to interview the rapists.

The permissions are taken

Before filming, Leslee had taken the permission of the Director-General of Tihar jail where the accused were lodged. She got the required permission and started filming for the film.

India's Daughter can be watched on the BBC website [Source: Amazon UK]

Filming

It took Leslee Udwin 31 hours and 7 days to complete the prison shoot for the film. One of the rapists refused to talk to her. Another two asked for money on camera to give the interview!!! While the fourth spoke to her and gave the interview. He was Mukesh Singh, the bus driver and he was the one who said on camera that had the girl allowed herself to get raped, she would have been alive! Leslee said that the day she took the interview, she could not sleep that night. She was wondering how a man could think so. He had said:

"When being raped, she shouldn’t fight back. She should just be silent and allow the rape. Then they’d have dropped her off after ‘doing her’, and only hit the boy."

He also said:

"A girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy … A decent girl won’t roam around at nine o’clock at night … Housework and housekeeping is for girls, not roaming in discos and bars at night doing indecent things, wearing indecent clothes."

The nasty defense lawyer of the culprits, AP Singh stooped too low and said:

“If my daughter or sister engaged in pre-marital activities and disgraced herself and allowed herself to lose face and character by doing such things, I would most certainly take this sort of sister or daughter to my farmhouse, and in front of my entire family, I would put petrol on her and set her alight.”

Leslee found the jail filming extremely gruelling. Hence, she later expanded her interest to the wider patriarchal society of the country that considers violence and rapes on women normal and a man’s right.

The grief-stricken but courageous mother of Jyoti Singh. It was her determination that brought justice to her daughter. Wish all mothers were like her! [Source: YouTube]

The film is directed, written, and produced by Leslee Udwin. Music is by Krsna Solo. The editor of the film is Anuradha Singh. The Production company is Assassin Films and also Tathagat Films. Berta Film had the distribution rights of the film. The film is of 63 minutes duration and was part of BBC’s Storyville series. It was released in the UK on 4 March 2015. It was put on the BBC website and also on YouTube and Google.

Needless Controversies surrounding the film from India

On 3 March 2015, Delhi Police filed an FIR against the filmmakers of the film. These were under Sections 505 (Statements conducing to public mischief), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 505(1)(b) (With intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public), 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (Punishment for sending offensive messages through communication service). The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Economic Offences Wing) of New Delhi, Rajneesh Garg explained:

"These excerpts of the interview as published are highly offensive and have already created a situation of tension and fear among women in society. Therefore, in the interest of justice and maintenance of public order, an application was made in court seeking restraining order from publishing, transmitting, uploading and broadcasting the interview."

BBC was going to screen the film in India on 8 March 2015 which is the International Women’s Day. NDTV was also going to screen it in India on the same day at 10 pm night. But on 4 March 2015, pro-Hindu BJP government of India brought a ban on its broadcast in India. On 5 March 2015, the Indian government forced YouTube to remove the video from its channel. They complied. The Indian Home Minster falsely said that Leslee had not taken permission to interview the rapists in jail. He also said that she had not shown the version of the film to the authorities concerned. But Leslee released all the requisite permission letters and also said in a press release that she had taken all the required permissions and shown the screening to the concerned authorities before release.

Leslee Udwin, the filmmaker from the UK [Source: PBS]

NDTV put the one-hour slot as a black hour and did not put up a substitute in place of the documentary that was banned at the last hour. BBC broadcast it on 11 March 2015. The victim’s parents also wanted the whole world to see the film. The film was released in the USA on 23 October 2015.

To unnecessarily harass Leslee and tarnish her image, a local newspaper reported that Leslee had paid Mukesh Singh INR 40000 for the interview. They reported that he had asked for INR 200000 but she negotiated and paid him INR 40000. But Leslee has denied any such wrong act.

The world’s response to the film

Everybody outside the country hailed the film and many Bollywood female celebrities too praised it. On 5 March 2015, The U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said:

"I'm not going to comment on the unspeakable comments that were made by the person accused of raping this girl, but I think the secretary-general has spoken very clearly on the need to halt violence against women and on the need for men to get involved in halting violence against women and decrying it loud and clear every time it occurs."

Awards and deserved appreciation came the film’s way

The film is a true portrayal of the wrong attitudes of Indian men towards women. It depicts the problems of females and their parents in that society. It was shown at several film festivals and has won innumerable awards on an international level. For details of its accolades, click here

The Indian government was worried about its negative image in the film. They did not want the world to know the truth about their country. And hence they in a hurry banned it by having a Parliament meet in the morning for it. But did they succeed in preventing the world from knowing the truth? Nay. And did anything change in that country to help female victims of rape after that? Nay.