The journey of the film and its making started in 2019. It has been shot through the length and breadth of India and mirrors women’s issues and patriarchy across the many existing social, economic, cultural and caste divides.
Directed by Vinta Nanda, the film has been produced by Gayatri Gill, Rahul Kumar Tewary and Siddharth Kumar Tewary. On March 9, 2023, Population First and UNFPA in partnership with Cine and TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) and One Life Studios hosted a preview of the documentary film #SHOUT on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
#SHOUT, a feature length documentary film, captures a range of voices of Indian women, and men, who give voice to India’s feminist history – be it survivors, victims and advocates to the cause of the long battle. The film deals with domestic violence and sexual harassment, explores the #MeToo movement, and examines patriarchy through stories, both, past and present – of Roop Kanwar, the nineteen-year-old who burnt herself alive on her husband’s funeral pyre in 1987, the gang rape of Bhanwari Devi in the mid-1990s and the outrage that led to the implementation of the Vishakha Guidelines in 2014 and the brutal gang-rape and murder of 8-year-old brutal Kathua victim. Feminist art, literature, music and performances place the issues to context. Justice Sujata Manohar, co-author of the Vishaka Guidelines says in the film, ‘In India, we live in several centuries, all at the same time.”
Among the impressive line-up of voices in the film are Urvashi Butalia (founder: Kali for Women), Tara Kaushal (author: Why Men Rape), Nirupama Dutt (author: The Ballad of Bant, journalist, poet), Mitra Phukan (author: The Collector’s Wife), Simran Kaur Suri and Mandana Karimi (the most powerful voices of the #Metoo movement), Amit Behl (actor, general secretary CINTAA), Ratan Thiyam (former director National School of Drama, founder of The Chorus Repertory Imphal), Preeti Gill (director Majha House, publisher), Ravina Raj Kohli (media consultant), Retd. Justice Sujata Manohar (co-author of the Vishakha Guidelines), Namita Bhandare (independent journalist of Gender Issues), Bhanwari Devi (social worker), Naseema Bibi (mother of the Kathua victim), , Manisha Mashaal (Director of Maha Dalit Women Andolan), Sandhya Menon (journalist, voice of the #MeToo movement), Sharada Ramanathan (filmmaker), Janaki Shreedharan (academic and advocate of women’s issues) and others.
The preview was followed by a panel discussion and audience interaction. The esteemed panellists were Javed Jaffrey, Lakshmi Iyer, Rukmini Sen, Sapna Bhavnani and Kitu Gidwani. Moderator Dr. AL Sharada, Director Population First and Laadli Media Awards, said, “One conversation can make a big difference and the film #SHOUT does exactly that. After the #Metoo movement girls have felt a lot more secure in the workspace and it has completely changed the perception of men towards sexual harassment”.
Anuja Gulati, UNFPA, said that it is up to us women to have a #Metoo movement every year! She added, “Men are victims as well, they need to be educated, their sensibilities need to be aroused because unless men change, nothing will change. We need our own movement for Indian women, Bhartiya nari andolan. Maybe, with this film, we can take the lead”.
Actor Javed Jaffrey, the only man on the panel, made it clear that the common man knows the problem and that it’s the system, which stalls progress. He ended by saying, “And through this film I hope we can change the system. We need to have an awakening – all we have is an Indian Penal Code, whereas what we need is an Indian Penile Code. The core problem is the implementation of our laws, that’s where the weakness lies and people are getting aware of it. The ‘Woh toh ladka hai… usse toh chalega (he’s a boy, excuse him)’ mentality needs to change”.
Sapna Bhavnani, festival director, filmmaker and activist said she was tired of being called brave when she tells her story. She shook the audience when she added, “If a man comes out and says ‘Hey, I molested a girl’, then that’s what should be called brave! What happened to me was not a choice, what the men did was their choice”.
Rukmini Sen, journalist, writer and filmmaker gave her perspective too. She said, “What I really liked about the film was that the Dalit recourse in the case of Bhanwari Devi was repeatedly brought in, because the greatest survivors are the ones that are in the Dalit community. What #Metoo movement did was to create many anti-sexual harassment committees in the workspace and that is a big achievement. Why do we have these movements? Because we’re documenting what is happening with us, and if you don’t change, we’re going to come for you”.
Some reactions from the audience are:
Joy Sengupta – Actor
Even a delayed fight could not keep me away from the screening of Vinta Nanda’s very engaging and important spotlight on sexual abuse, across class and caste lines and across regions, in contemporary India.
Joy Bimal Roy – Filmmaker
It’s hard to describe Vinta Nanda’s film #SHOUT. Because it has so much to applaud. It is hard-hitting, powerful, searing, moving, lyrical, sensitive, thought-provoking, impactful, well-crafted, well-edited, well-shot and unforgettable.
Salim Asgarally – Transgender Rights Activist, Fashion Designer and Slow Food Specialist
Through stunning visuals and powerful conversations, #SHOUT explores the #genderdebate landscape through the lenses of people, from diverse sociocultural backgrounds, narrating their own personal experiences as well as dissecting culture, media, religion, tradition, politics and conflict. Featuring public opinion through vox pop and performances of poetry, dance and music, the film mirrors the contradictions that Indian women are forced to negotiate.
Deepa Bhalerao – Social Worker
It was a privilege to witness the preview of this labour of love by the amazing Vinta Nanda, whose fierce honesty and sensitivity bring us the stories, old and contemporary, of women who have endured the unspeakable and have gathered the courage to stand up against the violence. This film is a very important documentation of the people and the incidents that shaped the movement for #womensrights in India. The panel discussion that followed brought out the need for sustaining this dialogue and working towards empowering women to speak up and never take violence from anyone.
Rukmini Sen – Journalist, Documentary Filmmaker
Vinta Nanda’s #SHOUT is her best work. And that’s not a small thing considering she created huge shows like Tara. Don’t miss this one. A gorgeous feminist documentary, one of its kind. I saw #SHOUT yesterday and found it overwhelming, disturbing, eclectic and breath-taking. Shot beautifully. Excellent sound design. Sharply edited. What I liked the most of course was the feminist politics of the film. It looks at caste and sexual violence at length. It looks at political power and rape closely. See it.
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