To Kill A Tiger
Introduction
The Oscar season has finally reached its conclusion today morning in what has been perhaps the most deserving night in Oscars history. Almost all my predictions were spot on with a few minor exceptions along the way which was bound to happen. But overall, the Oscar frenzy is officially over and it is over to yhe next lot to take over leading up to the 97th Academy Awards next year. But there were so many films and documentaries nominated this year that I am still playing catch up, and over the course of the next few days, I plan to cover some of them. With that, I finished watching the new Hindi Documentary To Kill A Tiger which was the sole representation of India at the Academy Awards this year under the Best Documentary category. And while my pick still was 20 Days in Mariupol(which eventually won), I still wished to know on what To Kill A Tiger has to offer. So then does To Kill A Tiger which is now streaming on Netflix manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
Set in a small village on the outskirts of Ranchi in India, To Kill A Tiger follows the story a girl who is subjected to a heinous crime, and her family’s relentless journey to attain justice. Now, there have been so many films been made previously on the similar theme but it just hits different when it is a documentary. As you are slowly introduced to all the stakeholders in the drama, you will find yourself infuriated with the environment created wherein almost everybody does shame the little girl while forcing her to marry her perpetrator as a solution. Before that, you are subjected to the character of the father reliving the chain of incidents that had initially led to her daughter arriving late one night, only to collapse immediately before narrating the horrors that she was subjected to, would make you squirm in your seat.
The drama branches out into some of the external factors too including some independent bodies helping out the family to attain justice, this while the entire village is against the idea of punishing the perpetrators, young boys who may have committed an ‘innocent’ crime as per them. The regressive thought of blaming the girl is still very much a part of our society which is so unfortunate and frustrating, while the documentary does its bit in exposing the very sentiment. All kinds of hardships that the family could be exposed to, including withdrawal of the case or delayed justice or even the family being slightly detached from the case, all form a part of the narrative that ends in a lot of hope.
The Not So Good
There is little doubt in my mind that this documentary directed by Nisha Pahuja is one of the most powerful documentaries that I have witnessed this year. But a small aspect of it that did not work was the length of it. I do think that the documentary could have been further edited in the middle, given how all set of arguments were the same, and having effectively communicated the point across, it just gave me a tingling that the documentary was going around in circles for a brief period of 10 minutes in the middle. Other than that, I think this documentary will leave you numb to the core!
The good
There was a scene in the first act wherein a woman was talking to the little girl child who was subjected to the heinous crime. And while her answers were stoic, I will never forget the pain in her eyes which was almost haunting in many ways wherein she seemed to be reliving the incident repeatedly, day in and day out. If that scene does not evoke any sentiments of anger or tears, then you need to get yourself checked. It accounted for one of the most powerful yet intimate scenes in the documentary which is a difficult watch too.
Additionally, the hardships faced by the family were showcased as huge obstacles given their financial condition, and also their decision to go against the powerful ‘tigers’ of their village that required a lot of resilience. The arguments presented from the other side were just so futile and infuriating to say the least including a botched investigation that transpired. But the burning question that the documentary wished to address and to a certain extent expose is the mindset of men in this country. There is no denying that we have been brought up in a patriarchal family but that really does not mean that men(and boys) have all the rights in the world against women(and girls). But unfortunately, the regressive mindset is on the rise where even if boys commit a crime, there is very little punishment that they are subjected to. In a country where girls are raped every 20 minutes, and most don’t report it due to the ’embarassment’ that comes with it, boys are scot-free which is really not the society that I would like to be a part of. And all of this is perfectly captured in this documentary that also provides a little sense of hope at the end for more such girls to come out, and expose the perpretrators.
A side note to young parents – teach your BOYS to respect women at a very young age. Do not ask your girls to curb their needs or preferences. It is a part of the healthy society that we dream of.
Conclusion
Nominated for the Best Documentary at the Academy Awards this year, To Kill A Tiger is a powerful documentary highlighting the relentless and harrowing journey of trauma and justice that makes for a terrific watch. Available on Netflix and Highly Recommended.