Harsh Realities documented

The tremors felt through the memory of the night of December 16 is enough to shake one's soul and bring some unpleasant memories back that still haunt us. In order to commemorate the death of Nirbhaya, Viacom18 has adopted Daughters of Mother India, the award winning documentary that explores the aftermath of the Nirbhaya rape incident that took place in 2012. 

The 45 minute documentary, which is produced by Academy Award winner Maryann Deleo and directed by National Award winner Vibha Bakshi, Daughters of Mother India explores the effect of Nirbhaya’s brutal gang rape on the collective psyche of India. 

The documentary has been adopted as a training film by the Indian police academy and various educational institutes in India, to sensitise on treating women with respect. 

Recognising media as a powerful tool for propagating social behavioural change, Mr. Sudhanshu Vats, CEO, Viacom18 said, “Media firms are best placed to act as force multipliers in India’s endeavour to bring about women empowerment. It is also important for us to be objective and ensure that all sides of a story are shared. Daughters of Mother India does this in many ways: it is objective, compelling and thought provoking. Hopefully, we’ll see a lot more of this kind of content coming into the mainstream. And hopefully, we as a company and as an industry, will continue propagating this message of change.”

Filmmaker Vibha Bakshi said, “When we approached Viacom 18 with the proposition of screening a documentary, they instantly understood. They were sensitive to the immediate need to raise awareness and take responsibility as a carrier of content to bring about social behavioural change. 

It’s the media that helps in bringing mass awareness for the critical issues pertaining to women empowerment, gender violence and actions needed there off. I encourage all of you to join me in saluting Viacom 18 for taking this bold step to adopt a documentary and dedicate time for such an important issue of awareness. It is truly commendable and indeed a benchmark for the industry to follow.”

The documentary will air across the entire Viacom18 Network on December 27.