This documentary was not about rape. It was not about why they raped or how the investigation was carried out. The first step of reporting was done. God knows how she gathered that courage. Estimates say that 90pc goes unreported.
Now, this documentary is about the more difficult part of staying your ground and fighting it till the end. How does a family, the victim and the supporting organizations and village members play a role throughout the process.
The child, the mother, the organization supporting them were the true heroes in this story without them justice would not have been possible. The mother was a silent one. She has less screen time, but her role is major. I could sense that she was an alpha. When she was confronted by an elderly woman of the village, she stood her ground. The father however did not hold a great reputation and could easily have succumbed to pressure without the support. We could see that, in the middle of the struggle, the parents were almost convinced to settle the issue within the village. There definitely must have been some support offered to the family by the film makers for them to have gone through this till the end.
Makes me wonder, would they have withstood this had they not been supported or filmed. What about unreported cases. What about case that get withdrawn and gets succumbed to society’s pressures.
Its likely that the family stood through this because they were supported by a firm like Srijan foundation and because they were being filmed. Even the judgement was harsh because it was being documented. Since it was in spotlight, right from the rape victim, family and the villagers up until the judge did the right thing. Makes me wonder, what would happen to people with no support. When there is no organization supporting you. The rape burden is far deeper than we could imagine is the truth. This documentary has done a great job of bringing forward the struggle to get justice in cases of rape in rural India.
The girl was an innocent kid, she literally had to practise what to tell in the court. As adults we are capable of telling our stories. How would kids be able to tell it to anyone. There is a possibility of suppression at every point starting from your own mother and father.