I have watched many documentaries, which have offered insight into thousands of events that are kept secret by media and administration from the general public. It was Citizenfour (2014) that first sparked an interest in me for documentaries. And then just a year later, BBC released India’s Daughter, a documentary film based on the most horrifying incident ever came to light in the country.

In December 2012, an Indian girl was gang-raped in a moving bus and was later assaulted and thrown on the side road by six men. The girl passed away due to the injuries she sustained while the six were arrested. Her death sparked a nationwide protest against the government, who was criticized for its failure to ensure women’s safety. People demanded death sentence for the culprits as the crime was so atrocious, that it’s unimaginable what that innocent girl went through.

India’s Daughter chronicles the events surrounding the protests and offers an insight into the incident through interviews with the prime accused, the girl’s parents, and the defense lawyers. What follows in this one-hour documentary is not just horrifying because of the nature of the incident, but because it unravels the dangerous mentality of a society, whose heritage inspires to worship women as goddesses.

In this piece, I review India’s Daughter to help this film reach a wider audience and let people know the truth of this horrific incident.

Review: India’s Daughter

“A decent girl won’t roam around at night – she was certainly more responsible for what we did to her.” These words coming out of remorseless accused of rape and murder of Jyoti Singh sends chills down my spine. When I first came to know that Udwin has interviewed Mukesh Singh for the film, I thought that he would confess of his crime in front of the public. But the inhuman beast took the platform to narrate how he and his fellow “mates” brutally assaulted a 23-year old girl because she went out for a late-night movie show. He didn’t even pause when he claimed how his friend “put his hand in and took out something long – her intestines maybe” while they were “teaching the girl a lesson.”

This is the sole reason that this film should be watched. This eye-watering tale of brutality will haunt you for days, but you will know what evil mentality has cursed the Indian society. Directed by Leslee Udwin, this horrifying narration captures the reality of a society where the evil thoughts delve and corrupt it to the core. Udwin paces her story in 59 minutes but brilliantly manages to cover all aspects of the incidents and take into account every single person involved with it.

We begin with Jyoti’s parents, who may never be able to move on with the loss of their only daughter, who had to bear that pain. Their grief can be seen in every word they spoke about their hard-working girl, who promised to help them deal with all problems once she becomes a professional physiotherapist.

While Mukesh Singh does not feel remorse for his actions, he also dares to claim that from now on, every girl who will be raped shall also be murdered so that people like him do not have to face legal consequences. Though horrifying and angering his words are, this particular interview is Udwin’s best decision. If it hadn’t been the case, none of us would have been able to understand how disgusting, oppressive, and prejudiced perspective against women is still thriving in what we know as a progressive nation.

However, Leslee ensures to encapsulate the story from every perspective. Udwin discusses with a psychologist who claims the lack of education, the highly orthodox upbringing, and zero exposure to the worldview is a reason that such crimes seem legitimate to convicts like Mukesh Singh. But again, the psychological claims are countered within the same film as Udwin records the most controversial aspect of her film.

While interviewing the defense lawyers A.P Singh and M.L. Sharma, Udwin discloses how merely education cannot change anything. Here we see educated lawyers justifying the rapists’ actions and openly admitting that a girl, “who echoes a flower-like persona”, will always be destroyed and run over like this if she can’t be in her boundaries. The lawyer A.P. Singh goes on to narrate how he will burn his daughter alive if she is caught in a pre-marital affair. How going to a movie at night is a pre-marital affair?

Udwin’s documentary not only calls out to the world to stand against oppression against women but also questions whether this mentality of Indian individuals can ever be changed. If lawyers, people in one of the most prestigious professions, can say things like this, what to expect from their future generations who’ll be brought up with similar preaching? Through these chilling interviews, Udwin successfully constructs an open-ended narrative. Why open-ended? Because it doesn’t end with a call out for justice for Nirbhaya (meaning fearless; a name was given to Jyoti Singh by media), but also root out the disgraceful thoughts and perspectives that are corrupting a nation day-by-day.

Udwin’s documentary portrays two different outlooks of India. A progressive nation where people want to grow beyond the unjustified cultural values, and the one with the slums where people can never grow neither mentally nor intellectually. But I believe this sends out a message that rape (in India) is a result of poor intellect and lack of education. It’s not entirely true. Yes, education changes a person in many ways. Still, since this case, there have been many more cases of rape registered, and the culprits were found to be educated persons belonging to decent families.

India’s Daughter is a must-watch because it’s a truth spoken bluntly without fear of backlash. The Indian government banned the film in India, citing it commercialized the brutal incident and was disrespectful to the victim. But the truth is that a government can’t have the reality exposed out to the world. Imagine two lawyers protecting convicted murderers, while making misogynistic remarks being publicly exposed. A government wouldn’t risk its image. That’s how dirty politics is, completely ignorant of morality and justice. It’s not a story of just Jyoti Singh, but it is a cry against every individual who dares to deem women incapable or inferior. I have hardly met a woman or a girl who never had to face sexual harassment. To those who think that passing a sexist comment is fun, keep in mind that’s assault.

Legacy of India’s Daughter

Unfortunately, banning the film in India lost India’s Daughter its purpose. It was all about the atrocities women have to face in Indian society and should have been released there. They aren’t letting the Indian people know about an issue that’s delving within the very country they live in. How they plan on dealing with it if they can’t even have people talk or discuss it. But, it was received well in international territories and was even supported by actress Meryl Streep during Oscars run. The sad part is that the truth was buried. How can an administration solve this issue if it would not let people talk about it?

The film hardly impacted the trials of the Nirbhaya case. The culprits despite being sentenced to death, are dodging the court using loopholes in the constitution as an aid for the last 7 years. Lawyer A.P. Singh continues his support for rapists and still claims that the convicts were “just kids” back then and are innocent. The culprits await hanging this March 20th after repeated postponing of the death sentence, but we do not know what new loophole they may find to dodge it again. May justice be done.

Rape cases in India are still being registered, while many files are buried deep in records, pending a formal hearing. Marital Rape is still not criminalized making many rapes legal by law. Hundreds of cases of rape attempts are discarded over the fact that the victim wasn’t penetrated. In the past three years, women’s safety in India has worsened with increasing numbers of rape, assault, and domestic violence. Another outrageous case of similar brutality occurred in another Indian city, Hyderabad. The victim was raped and burned by four men. Hyderabad Police shot rapists in an armed altercation and their actions were applauded by the public. That incident reminded of Jyoti Singh and questioned whether one should rely on the constitution for justice or take the matter in hands as the law enforcement did in the other case.

India’s Daughter has wonderfully helped Jyoti’s voice reach the world and has deeply dug into the causes of such crimes in India. I am an Indian and I was not just sad but was ashamed to hear some comments made in the film. I admit there are flaws in the system and this “culture”, which are necessary to deal with if this nation has to thrive with prosperity. This grieving account of painful death of Jyoti Singh will leave you baffled and speechless, and may leave you with a dangerous and horrifying question – what if Jyoti Singh was someone your own?