It has been ages, literally ages since I wrote something but
the debate over Nirbhaya Documentary has prompted me to write this piece.
Frankly I am confused and hopefully by the time I finish writing I would be
clear on whose/which side I am.
One of the most debatable aspects of the documentary is
whether it should be aired in India or not and I find it completely nonsensical.
The ones in favour of airing have nothing to fuss about as its already out on
social media and the ones who would have actually seen it or got any import out
of it have already seen it. The ones not in favour of airing are being
hypocrites as they themselves have seen it and are now taking judgemental calls
for others which they have no right to. To me the bigger point of contention is
whether or not a foreigner be allowed to make such a documentary. Do we need a
foreign woman to make us understand the pathos the family and the girl went
through and the sorry state of affairs for women in India? I am sure rapes and
women safety is a problem in other countries as well, so why not reflect on
your own land as well. You could argue that India has a much higher no of rapes
per day , but its not the number that the documentary intends to attack , it’s
the mindset and the mindset of a rapist is same whether he is a black or a white.
The counter argument could be, are we as a nation not
willing to allow outsiders to peep inside, to comment and suggest. Are we
creating a society which is scared to know what others think of us and are only
willing to open few doors, the doors which show the shinier side of India. May
be only an outsider has an audacity to show the real face of India just like
Leslee Udwin was able to bring about through some very thoughtful interviews of
convicts and their lawyers.
It’s a debate which might continue for some more time, but
for a moment lets forget about who made the documentary and that it portrays
India in a bad light and think about it as a film which is reinforcing that
there is an urgent need to do something about the mindset of men in this
country and reform the social status of women. I am not sure if we can bring a
change in our current or previous generation but we sure can in the future generations.
The way we behave and raise our kids would determine how much balance we are
able to achieve in the society. While education and economic development will
have its own role, its important we exercise and provide the right to each man
and woman to be just Free!!
