Leslee Udwin clarified that she took interview of Mukesh Singh (one of the criminals convicted of Nirbhaya case) because she wanted to show Indian men’s mindset about rape and women.
Just imagine how shameful and demeaning that objective is when a journalist thinks that interviewing a criminal convicted of a serious crime like rape can show the mindset of a country? Do these criminals anywhere reflect Indian values, culture or men? The convicts who belonged to the lower strata of Indian society and who was hardly literate and criminals; were chosen by a global channel to understand Indian men’s view about rape and women. This only showed poor taste and grade of BBC’s journalism.
It is also shown that the convict’s lawyer blamed the victim for the incidence. He said that “he would have burnt his daughter if she had gone out at night at the wee hours”. When I came to know about this comment, I was confused as to whether he wanted to save his client or make sure that his client got the death penalty multiple times. No sensible lawyer would ever say that in public. This view expressed by the lawyer expressed a pathetic sense of values and poor knowledge of the law. This also provoked me to think that if he had ever expressed a view like that why he wasn’t punished yet.
Being associated with India’s Men’s Rights Movement for some time, I know that even MRAs won’t say that women going out alone should be burnt to death. Anyone having this kind of mindset surely does not belong to India.
When personal safety and security come into question, I do agree that we all need to be responsible for our own safety. Some basic safety measures like avoiding going to criminally infested areas or avoiding travel to crime-prone areas or keeping some safety device with us are always recommended to everyone. Because even as a man I am not safe everywhere and I can’t blame our police for every safety breach that happens.
Today, when we see that due to this one case; filing rape cases have become so easy for women that any man can become a rape accused on someone’s vicious will. But that is one extreme of rape cases. The other extreme is the Nirbhaya case and the alleged statement of the rapist and his advocate. Surely they don’t reflect India’s views and in no way, their views are taken as India’s attitude towards rape.
In fact, India’s attitude towards rape was very clear after the Delhi rape in December 2012. We saw thousands of people joined protests all over the country and the Indian govt. gave the victim all possible help. Wasn’t that good enough reflection of India’s mindset about rape? Then why did Leslee has to interview a criminal who was not at all educated to express views on anything, leave alone the fact that he could remotely represent India’s mindset towards rape and rape victims? Same goes for his advocate as well. In fact, I do feel if his advocate ever expressed any extreme view about rape victims and spoke about burning women if they had gone out alone, he needed to be punished as well because in a zest of speaking to fame (or was he paid for that statement?) he had defamed Indian society.
The question is, when a rapist cannot represent our nation then why did BBC plan to interview him to represent a country or it was again a deep-rooted conspiracy against India. I am not sure if BBC ever took similar interviews of rapists from any other country as rape is a prominent crime (more frequent than it happens in India) in many western countries and many such rapes are gang rapes too. In some of those cases, the victims would have been brutally killed too. If BBC or Leslee Udwin had not taken similar interviews with those criminals then it is clear that they had some ulterior motive behind this interview.
A rapist trying to blame the victim and trying to justify the brutal attack is not only outrageous but an open invitation for a confirmed death penalty. When we came to know that the journalist had not shown the video to the authorities before leaving the jail, that too raises concerns about her intentions. It also raises questions about the lackadaisical approach of Tihar jail authorities. How could they allow her to go out of the premises without her complying with agreed norms?
Today, many filmmakers are demanding the video be published else that will be suppression of freedom of speech. I would like to ask them if our freedom of speech can be used to demean our own country?
I was trying to check Leslee’s details on Twitter. I found that even though her Twitter account was created way back in September 2010 but she has only 25 tweets in all and started tweeting only from Feb 28, 2015.
An account that was created in 2010 has only 25 tweets, that too only tweets regarding #IndiasDaughter and her documentary forced me to think that she only has one objective today, to promote her film and in order to do that she did not mind shaming India as a whole. Notably, all her feminist friends have supported her.
[This video was removed]
Dr. Maria Misra in the video claimed that since Indian economy is booming today and many young women are coming out to work, Indian men are trying to control their (women’s) lives (mark her comment “….how they (women) should be allowed to live their lives”).
This told me that the main intention of this film was to show that Indian men try to control the behaviour of women, which is not true. Because of the overwhelming protest throughout India after Dec 16 signifies India’s true attitude towards the women compared to the views of some criminals. However, International media is biased towards showing India in a bad light.
Ironically, this documentary also shows global rape statistics that show countries like The United Kingdom with a higher number of rape cases but still, Udwin chose to condemn India.
Her comment to The Guardian about her intention towards making this film made her intentions even more controversial. She said, she wanted to understand and I quote her –
So here she blames all Indian men whereas, in reality, most Indian men were out on the streets protesting against the crime.
This observation clearly puts her intentions in question. Her negative murky journalism to show India in a bad light in order to promote her film is highly condemnable and punishable. This once again shows that western media is trying to shame India using the December 16 incidence.
Earlier many western filmmakers had gotten away by making such films, but this time we can not but punish everyone associated with the film. I am glad the Indian govt. has taken stern action against this film and stopped it’s broadcast in India. Hope she will be punished, too. We all Indians have every reason to seek her punishment and protest against her cheap publicity stunt.
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Related
1. Is BBC Interview of Delhi rapist scripted?
The Male Factor (TMF) 
ARTICLE SHOWS DEEP STUDY AND THINKING ABOUT SOCIETY. WHEN PARTY SPOKESMEN SPEAK SOMETHING WHICH IS NOT CONVENIENT TO PARTY THEY ARE STATING THAT IT WAS HIS PERSONAL VIEWS , HOW A HARD CORE AND UNEDUCATED CRIMINAL CAN REPRESENT WHOLE INDIAN MANHOOD? YESTERDAY ALL HAVE TAKEN CHANCE IN SANA SAD TO BLAME INDIAN MEN STATING THAT THIS IS MINDSET OF INDIAN MEN THIS IS PURELY WAY TO SECURE VOTE BANK.
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Excellent article Partha. We need to get it shared the maximum
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Men of India condemn the “exercise” undertaken by BBC journalist to understand the mindset of Indian Men. They can not randomly select an undertrial and generalise his views to stereotype an honest, law abiding, hard working Indian Men. .. Those who dont understand Indian Men should look at their own father, son, brother or husband to understand what Indian Men are and what their values are. This documentary looks like a perfectly timed opportunity by feminist organisations to demand concessions for women and some (more) anti men actions to encash the general mood of concern towards women around International Womens Day. shame on such regressive thinking. looks like the only way Indian women are secure is by demanding alms and crutches from government on name of empowerment..
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This is also interfering in the process of justice administration. Highest court of country is seized with the matter. Coaxing an uneducated under trial for admitting his guilt is illegal.
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I dont completey agree with all points.
I wish to bring following important pointers here:
1. Nirbhaya became India defining incident, but not this? http://www.mid-day.com/articles/hc-upholds-life-sentence-for-mother-who-killed-child/200325
2. The way media made the story out of that incident: http://sffdelhitrainingsessions.blogspot.in/2013/02/FeministsRideNirbhay.html
Now coming specific to this interview.
This interview was shot in 2013 and was agreed to be first shown to Delhi police, BBC violated that condition – so why is FIR being questioned?
Apparently, as per this alleged interview, the person is accepting his involvement in the crime verbatim while in the court he was pleading innocent. So for all the reasons, this interview has to be completely doubted on it’s alleged ‘findings’.
The interview doesnt even bother to cover if the accused who died in the jail did actually commit suicide or there is more to that story?
Lawyer who is defending saying things, as alleged, is absolutely idiotic to be even believed. So BBC is saying that Indian lawyers are the ones who are asking people to take law in their own hands? And if yes, why make this as a news and NOT make news when actually people took law in their hands? Similar media appreciated it. Isnt it? http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/lynch-mob-chop-mans-penis-off-after-catching-him-allegedly-trying-to-rape-teenager-9787746.html
So all Western AND Indian media have 2 sense of Justice: 1 for Male Gender, 1 for Female Gender. We do live in Equal world. Isnt it?
How many times have BBC or other Western media ever talked about Male rape in India or about incidents of Rape in their Parent countries?
In the list of 119 countries, India still figures out as the SAFEST FOR WOMEN in terms of Rape incidents. India is 94th in the list. Dispute that BBC:
http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Crime/Rape-rate
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Somehow BCC and she has to be exposed. I think Sudhir and the lawyer have been paid to say whatever they said. We need to find a way to expose them.
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From Leslie’s comment
“Why do men rape?’ I discovered that the disease is a lack of respect for gender. It’s not just about a few rotten apples, it’s the barrel itself that is rotten.”
So she believes that most men in India don’t respect women. Sick and disgusting. Something that you can expect from your typical feminist.
Well Leslie, what about women who disrepect their own gender ? Back then when dowry case and female feticide was a real issue, it was mostly women who forced their daughter-in-law to pay huge sum of money and it was mostly women who forced to abort a female foetus. Even today, it is women who mostly prefer sons over daughters. But nope, for you, only men disrespect women.
And since the dowry rate has been reduced to negligible rate, we have another form of dowry, called the forced alimony, where divorced fathers are forced to pay half his alimony and his property. Because of this, coupled with false DV charges filed against him and his family, a lot of married men are committing suicide. But that’s none of the concern for feminist like Leslie. Only women are victim. Men can’t be victims. Even if they acknowledge that men are victims, they would blame on their flying spaghetti monster called “The Patriarchy”.
And she’s asking the question ” Why men rape?” So according to her, women can’t rape or molest right ? Even though it is proven that almost the same number of female and male are rapists and sexual abusers. But, again, for Leslie, women cannot rape or sexually molest. Because “patriarchy”. The real question should be why sociopaths rape. The rapist who was interviewed by Leslie was a clear example of a sociopath who is illiterate and belongs to a lower strata of the society. So, just by a single interview of a sociopath, Leslie came to a conclusion that most Indian men are violent sociopathic rapist who likes to keep women down ? I wonder how the people in the US would react if Leslie made a documentary about blacks committing major crimes in US and came to the similar conclusion that all blacks are sociopathic criminals ? Bitch don’t know about criminal psychology. Any psychopath will justify their crimes. An average person would eventually feel guilty when he does the same crime. Lack of guilt is one clear signs of sociopathy/narcissism. But Leslie won’t give a fuck about it. All she’s concerned about how to paint all the Indian Men as violent psychopaths and rapists. All she care about how to generate more rape culture hysteria, and making this nation a carbon copy of her nation, Britain, a nation where fatherlessness, divorce rate, teen pregnancy, false rape accusations, violent male deaths at hands of their partners, gang violence are rampant.
And furthermore, I’m seriously getting sick of such misandry that I have to constantly face everyday. Will it take a mass state sponsored genocide of male to convince our society that misandry is a heinous crime just like misogyny ? Don’t our society know what would happen if we allow misandrists like Leslie to promote her hatred ? One should take a look at the western world and see the number of men going on a “sexodus”. But things here would turn out much different than that of west. Because unlike them, our Indian Society is barbaric. Take a look at the recent mob lynching of a man accused of rape in Nagaland. This is just a demo of what awaits for us in future. Such lynching would be common in the coming future. Because today, it’s easy for a woman to accuse any man of rape. And nothing is being done to punish false accusers. Do you know what would happen because of it ? Men would soon break contact with all women, even with their daughters and sisters, because.even they can’t be trusted. Forget about marriage. Any sane educated Indian men would rather prefer to put a bullet in the head than marrying an Indian Woman. Because risks is far too high when you marry. Not only your life would get fucked up, but you would also put your family life in jeopardy. Indian men now have ever more valid reasons not to marry. Eventually this would harshly affect women, even the ones who are decent and who doesn’t abuse the law. Chances are they would be dehumanise even more as evil parasites who sucks up the life of men
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[…] 1. What does the interview of Delhi’s rape convict reveal […]
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The documentary was brilliant and demonstrates the controlling behavior and attitudes of males in male dominated societies. It is not a class thing. It was not a slight on Indian men alone but men everywhere who dictate how their women folk should be – dress, behave, live, do, not do, etc. Many comments here by Indian men see this as some sort of national insult. It isn’t so. It is simply holding a mirror to all men to see themselves as they are or could become. The parent’s of Jyoti were so dignified. The despair of the aged parents of the criminals was shown. The affection with which Jyoti’s friend spoke of her demonstrated the softer side of many young Indian men. The outrage of people at the heinous crime that catalyzed reforms to the criminal justice system was aptly shown . The convict and his lawyers show the conditioning of males in a male dominated culture. Men notwithstanding their own loose morals and weaknesses, especially among the rich and powerful, become the guardians of morality for women. They take away virtually all rights of women/girls. This documentary should be part of educating every adult in every male dominated patriarchal society.
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First of all you did not realize that the documentary was in fact a scripted movie (the convict was paid 40,000 for that, check the news) and a death convict could have have been told to say those things about other men so that his punishment could have been reduced. The film maker had violated several laws and the contract terms were also violated and she is yet to be punished for that.
regarding the documentary being a mirror for men, a criminal’s view point may be a mirror for you or your father or other male relatives but not for me or many others. If you talk specifically about men trying to control women’s behaviour, you will not see that happening once men are freed from the responsibility of providing and protecting women. The only reason men try to behave that way is that they want to protect women around them. Even there are many limits applied to men as well. Either men or women apply those limits for the men and boys they care for. It is about the care and not controlling behaviour.
Now that you have considered the criminal’s comments as the attitude of Indian men, you have just demeaned all men who have vigorously fought for women’s rights. Now they know that feminists are actually having one goal, to shame men.
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We are in a male-dominated soicety??????????
Try to prove it! You’ll definitely FAIL! LOSER!
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Ohh….
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What partha said is 100% percent right. showing one rape case done by 6 males,Does 65 crores of Indian male population rapists its very bad,All Indian male population has to condemn of degrading their race.we the Indians stand on each other and oppose the BBC cheap politics.
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No one, let alone Ms Udwin in her well edited documentary, is saying all Indian males are controlling or misogynists. And that all Western males are angels incarnate. This documentary isn’t just about India or Indian men. The high profile criminal incident happened in India. It is an expose of a type of male mindset that leads to criminality in violating the female body. It is an attitude of a certain type of male world wide that gets promoted by certain prevalent social conditions. These conditions must change to make progress in gender equality issue. It is about controlling and dominating male attitudes throughout the world. Such behavior is detrimental to social and economic development. Do not bring nationalism as a refuge for this weakness in men. Men do not need to protect women. Law enforcement protects women & men. Women can protect themselves if men did not pose a threat to their person. Women should be free to choose what they wish for their lives. Just like men. Can anyone, in their right minds, deny the existence of social ills in the form of harassment, mistreatment and discrimination against women / girls? If you do then you are in denial.
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You still missed many points to share your view on 😉
Educate yourself about female viewpoint of male body and then your thoughts will make more sense to sane people.
If you think women are able to protect themselves, why they don’t openly take responsibility of their safety? Why it is the ‘MALE’ that gets blamed for women’s safety? Men never blame the other gender for their safety, do they? Because they have guts to take up responsibility. Shall we ever see a documentary talking about women’s responsibility when it comes to crime?
Good Luck.
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First of all read all family court rules, judgements and also review comments given by public in general than only say that ” Men do not need to protect women. Law enforcement protects women & men. Women can protect themselves if men did not pose a threat to their person. Women should be free to choose what they wish for their lives. Just like men.”
Not only at family stage MAN is suppose to protect woman but at Society stage also he is suppose to protect women even though she is at wrong . Every one is saying RESPECT WOMEN” HAVE U SEEN WHOLE DRAMA OF rohatak sisters . Ms Renuka Chaudhary had commented that ” ALL THE MALE CO PASSENGERS TRAVELLING IN BUS AND NOT FAVORED THE GIRLS ARE “HIJARADS” are u agree with her this comment. if yes NOWORDS FOR U. If not have u shown your displeasure. No, time is not faraway when entire society will pay for all these nonsense and u will not be spared it is sure my friend.
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Connecting a criminals’ mindset with mindset of all men of the country is nothing but insanity! and trying to justify the same is also insanity 😉
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I am not very unhappy that this film or videos like “Rape Karo” is made. These are direct slap to every man who had protested vigorously and made every rape a BIG issue. Now a mirror is held in front of their face and they are also painted in the colors of a rapist.
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[…] when the British documentary maker Leslee Udwin fooled everyone by a scripted movie she named “India’s Daughter”. It was an attempt to look at India through a rapist’s eye and to prove that India was a rape […]
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