What does the documentary India’s Daughter seek to achieve?
The documentary has already started to change things around us. Rape is a pattern not only in India, but all over the world. I have been a victim of rape. One in five women in the world are raped or have been victims of attempt to rape. That is 20% of the women in the world. And, one in three women in the world have experienced sexual violence. The documentary talks about how educating the society can lead to changing archaic mindsets to help end this violence.
Don't such incidences need to be reported to educate people against them?
We are encouraging women to talk about rapes and such issues because we will never have accurate figures in this country or any other place where there is shame adhering to the victim or survivor of the rape. If I was raped, I'm not ashamed. The shame isn't mine, it is that of my rapist. Therefore, we must come out and talk.
So, does the conversation on gender inequality need to train its main focus on rape?
The film is not just about that aspect. Rape is only one of the symptoms of the disease that is gender inequality. It is gender inequality that leads to rape, child marriages, human trafficking, or instances such as in Egypt where 96% of women have been genitally mutilated.
What was going on inside your mind when you heard the accounts of the rapists?
I spent three days interviewing Mukesh Singh, one of the convicted rapists, in Tihar jail. When I was interviewing him, what I found most bone-chilling was the insight that I received of the way he views women. He had no regrets. He put the blame on the women for not staying at home and doing house chores, and rather coming out in the night. His only thought was, there are rapists who are in the prisons have committed crimes far more heinous than he has, then why in his words, “is the media making a fuss over us?” In his eyes, he was a victim of media’s pressure. He is like a robot. I tried to find remorse in him, but I failed.
India’s Daughter is facing a restraining order and a possible ban in India. How would you respond to that?
It makes me feel sad. However, on the other hand, anything of this magnitude, which is more than a campaign—it is a movement—doesn’t have it easy. I think it is ill-advised and I hope they are going to consider it carefully and understand that by attempting to silence a film like this, they are attempting to silence the issue (of gender inequality). It is just counter-productive.
There have been reports that the interview of the rapist was recorded without proper approvals from the Tihar Jail authorities.
We sought all the required approvals that we were supposed to from the Director General of Tihar Jail and even from the Ministry of Home Affairs. I shot over 26 hours of footage with Mukesh Singh over three days. I took the unedited version of the film and showed it to the officials in Tihar jail. After 3 hours of footage, they asked me to come back with a shorter version of it.
What is going to be your next step of action?
I have a launch in the UK and I have a global launch in New York, where incredible people are coming to see this movie and support it. I can’t let that down because the film is a global entity, an international campaign. It’s hard to stay in one place and let down those other elements. There are seven countries around the world that are screening this on International Women’s Day for good reason.
Are you afraid that you are now at odds with Indian laws?
I’m not afraid and I can’t be when I have done nothing wrong. The film is not giving a platform to the rapists. It’s fair and balanced. A national news channel is running a vicious campaign against this film, and they should be ashamed of themselves. They haven’t seen the film and it’s extraordinary that responsible journalists would do that.
How are you planning to engage with more men and women to eradicate gender bias?
We have created a webpage called ‘Stop the Shame’ which will go live on March 8. It will be a global hub, a platform for gender equality. On the ‘Name The Shame’ page, every public figure who has come out with misogynous statements against women, will be named with their photograph. So, we will name them and we will shame them.
The documentary will not be telecast on NDTV following the injunction filed by the Delhi police in court. Talking about the contents of the movie is embargoed. BBC has been given a show cause notice twice for interviewing convicted rapist Mukesh Singh. The director has also been asked to respond to how they got access to the interviews. The case filed in court against them says that they did not take all the approvals while filming it. The MHA has also sought a response.