India's Daughter (2015)

British actress/producer Ms. Leslee Udwin's documentary "India's Daughter" possesses a redeeming quality. It does not have any controversial material which could help in sensationalizing the brutal crime which took place on 16th December 2012. This is something crucial which its detractors should note before they accuse it of denigrating India. Its strength lies in the fact that it makes a genuinely bold attempt to make sense of the tragedy which has destroyed late Ms. Jyoti Singh Pandey's family. For this purpose the balance between good and evil is established by a parallel depiction of candid interviews with her mother Mrs. Asha Devi Singh and Ram Singh-a diabolical criminal who appears to be perfectly normal as if nothing wrong had happened. It is Ms. Jyothi's father Mr. Badri Singh Pandey who deserves audiences' appreciation for maintaining stoic calm throughout the film. India's daughter begins with poignant scenes which recreate events of the actual crime. They feature police officers, hospital staff, defense lawyers, legal experts and women's rights activists. It is through their interventions that one comes closer to understand the true reasons for ghastly crimes against women in India. There is also a brief footage involving former Delhi chief minister Sheela Dixit who describes why women are less valued than men. The heavy use of archival footage from NDTV takes viewers to the time when the whole Indian nation rallied for Ms.Jyoti Singh Pandey's cause. Without putting the dreaded scenes of poverty in India at the center stage which have been hitherto recognized as key features of numerous documentaries about India, Ms. Udwin's film is able to maintain its neutrality by depicting the sentimental aspects of criminals' families. In many ways, they can be termed as this film's weak spots as due to the nature of abhorrent crimes committed by the criminals, there would hardly be anybody who would like to sympathize with them. In an age like the one in which we are currently living, dissemination of information happens at a reckless pace over numerous high tech platforms. The banning of a work of art appears to be absolutely ludicrous in such a fast moving world.This is one reason why "India's Daughter" is freely available on Internet for viewers who would like to understand the sick mentality of certain men who do not want to see women grow and prosper in life.