CHENNAI: On a fateful day in March 2016 in Tiruppur’s Udumalpet, two youngsters who got married against their family’s will, were brutally attacked by henchmen hired by the girl’s father because the boy was from a lower caste. The attack happened in broad daylight on a road bustling with activity. This incident sent shivers across the state. Though feature films have been made on honour killing in India, India-born UK-based documentary filmmaker Sadhana Subramaniam chose the attack on the couple — Gowsalya and Shankar — from south India — as the story for her film India’s Forbidden Love: An Honour Killing on Trial, for Al Jazeera’s Witness.
The documentary that released in March 2018 fetched a nomination for the International Emmy Awards under the Best Documentary category in August 2019. The 25-minute film follows Gowsalya as she testifies against her parents in the murder trial of Shankar.
A banker-turned-documentary filmmaker, Sadhana talks to CE about her passion for investigative journalism, the scope for documentary filmmaking and the plethora of stories that need to be told from India.
Excerpts follow:
What were your lessons from your first attempt at documentary filmmaking?
I chose a social issue as the theme for my debut documentary. It’s common for filmmakers to choose fictional subjects but there are very few who do observational documentary.
A lot of commitment was required. I thought my film would get over in 15 days but it took almost a year to complete.
Getting access to sensitive subjects and talking to people on the other side of the fence is challenging. In societal problems, it’s important to know why people do what they do. Not to justify the crime but to get a balanced view. A documentary must have a journalistic stand, including fact check, story check and creating a strong editorial.
What were the challenges while filming?
The biggest challenge was that people are very curious. People are not used to the concept of filmmaking. We followed the siblings — Gowsalya and Gowtham — for nine months and were present in every minute of their life. We also followed the lawyers of both parties. Sometimes devastating things happen. As a filmmaker, I cannot involve myself in their lives. I have to be non-sentimental and document every moment. Stepping away from being a human and documenting is hard.
How did you unwind from the traumatic experiences at shoot every day?
I travelled a lot with Gowsalya on the bus, overnight to reach campaign venues. Every day was stressful and there used to be no time to rest. She used to get threats everywhere — from family members and people in the community.
She had high risks and that kept me awake. I feared a lot for her. Every moment was nerve-racking. Meeting her relatives was extremely disturbing. When you’re filming, all you are worried about is getting the film and story right. I had sleepless nights after the film got over. It took a couple of months to get back to normal life.
Any unforgettable moments from the shoot?
My cinematographer and I had to appear in court. We used to wake up at 2.15 am every day and travel from Coimbatore to Coonoor to meet Gowsalya and capture her feelings about the expected judgement. Then we’d come back to the court and talk to her brother to hear his side of the story. This was the ritual for seven months. In the afternoons, we used to go to a nearby bakery to drink tea. I used to take a nap on a tiny bench there to unwind.
What are some of the deleted scenes that you think could’ve been retained?
There was a scene of a juvenile who was sentenced in the case. He and the others were discussing among themselves on why they did what they did. I would’ve liked to retain that portion since it provided a different perspective. I couldn’t because of the genre. In observational documenting, if the protagonist Gowsalya or the other party Gowtham is not there in the scene then that cannot be used. We also had restrictions on what can be included.
Do we need more women filmmakers?
More than gender, in India we need more documentary filmmakers. The stories that come out are generally from a western perspective — of foreign filmmakers. Local documentarians can cover more nuances, pick up accents and give a better insight when they go closer to the source.
A topic from India that you’d choose for your next.
I’d choose rape and women’s safety. I’m thinking how to go about it. This issue deeply bothers me. I want to explore how we, as a society, are responsible and how our education system plays a crucial role. I want to focus on deeper roots of the problem.
Switching paths
After a stint in banking, Sadhna delved into filmmaking. She’s a director at Grain Media, and the founder of Probe Docs, a UK-based production company that provides a platform for upcoming filmmakers to focus on factual formats that bring about change and has an impact on deprived communities.
Honour killing
Gowsalya (in picture) and Shankar got married against family wishes in 2016. Her father and brother hired henchmen to attack them. Shankar succumbed to his injuries.