The Controversial Rape Documentary Premieres in Star Studded Event
A documentary that centred on the Delhi bus rape in 2012 aired in the USA in a premiere attended by actresses Meryl Streep and Freida Pinto. India’s Daughter screened at Baruch College and a vigil was held where Streep lit candles for the late Jyoti Singh, the medical student died after being gang raped by six men.
“Tonight we light these candles to honour the value and the work of Jyoti Singh’s short, promising life,” Streep said. “She was India’s daughter. Tonight she’s our daughter too.”
Four men were convicted of the rape and sentenced to death, since then Singh’s parents have released their daughter’s identity as they want the world to know of her ordeal.
Slumdog Millionaire actress Freida Pinto said, “Ultimately, this is a film that needs to go out…this is not a shame-India documentary.”
The documentary has sparked controversy as it featured an interview with one of the suspects who made remarks blaming the victim, bus driver Mukesh Singh said, “A decent girl won’t roam around at 9 o’clock at night… Housework and housekeeping is for girls, not roaming in discos and bars at night doing wrong things, wearing wrong clothes.”
The documentary was made by British film maker Leslee Udwin, who herself is a rape victim. Although scheduled for premiere in India on International Woman’s Day the broadcast was stopped by an Indian court order, supposedly to maintain public order. However the documentary can still be viewed on YouTube.
“This film in no way is propagating violence in order to solve the problem. In fact, what we’re saying is let’s do this in the most civilized possible way ever,” Pinto announced.
“This is not just an India problem; this is a problem that inflicts almost every country in the world,” she said. “There’s not a single country in 2015 that is free of sexual violence against women.”
