For a noble cause

Social change

For director and producer Vibha Bakshi, her brainchild, ‘Daughters of Mother India’ is a ‘people’s’ film throughout as it dealt with the universal subject of sexual violence and rape which was pushed forth in the film circuit only by the masses and their involvement.

The movie is based on the events after the Delhi gang rape in 2012 and has received numerous accolades at home, including the 62nd Annual National Film Award, and also saw a full house at the New York Film Festival in 2015. It takes a holistic view of the issue at hand and brings out the debates surrounding gender violence and was recently screened at the ‘Indian Panorama Film Festival’, organised by Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy, at Chamudeshwari Studios.

A former journalist, she decided to switch to films as she wanted to talk about stories with longer shelf lives and felt that the subject, visuals, story telling and live accounts incorporated in one medium, had a better and more powerful impact.

So how difficult was it to translate the subject of sexual violence on screen, an issue that has to be dealt with care and tact? Vibha was clear from the beginning that she had to handle the subject with responsibility and sensitivity.

“I knew that I was dealing with a sensitive issue and did not want to make it sensational. I knew that it wouldn’t reach the masses if I didn’t handle it responsibly. There was also a lot of trust and support I garnered along the way. I gained access to Delhi Police Control Room and Command Centre. Without the police, there would be no story. Now, I feel even more committed to make better films. Change-making and impact through films are priceless as long as the emotion and intent is clean.”

 Though one of the biggest challenges she faced was getting people to speak up about the issues, she adds that they participated in the film fearlessly. Her biggest takeaway was that she learned not to be judgemental about anyone in society. Fully aware of the challenges that come with documentary film-making, including the funding deficit and the lack of promotion in media houses and TV channels in this space, Vibha urges youngsters to work on documentaries and herself hopes to continue working on them. She wishes that “a 100 more films which act as a catalyst to change” are made.

She says, “The time is now. It’s a tough route to take but if youngsters are committed and passionate, they will be able to pull off a good film in the end. My team clung on till the very end and the people of India took the film forward. Many times, people generally release their film internationally and then in India but we worked backwards.”

One of the few women documentary film-makers who is carrying the torch of change, Vibha says that like all fields, there is a male predominance here too and issues like gender bias and stereotypes start from home and should be addressed within the house. “Such gender biases can happen from the most educated home to a hut in a rural area and changes should start from home.”

In a larger context, however, she is positive about the change that a film can bring and says that the very fact that dialogue and debates are taking place around the issue of gender violence implies that change in people’s mindset is taking place in the
 society.