Working on ‘Gauri’ was not easy, says Kavitha Lankesh

Kavita Lankesh talks about ‘Gauri’, her documentary on the life and work of her activist-sister, which won the Best Human Rights Film at the Toronto Women’s Film Festival

“I hope Gauri’s voice continues to resonate,” says Kavitha Lankesh. Her documentary Gauri on the life and work of her journalist and activist sister, Gauri Lankesh, has won the Best Human Rights Film award at the Toronto Women’s Film Festival (TWFF) 2022. Gauri was gunned down in 2017, on the porch of her home in Bengaluru.

Understandably, the win evoked mixed emotions for Kavitha. While the subject is painful and personal, Gauri is creating ripples at various international film festivals, such as the South Asian Film Festival of Montreal, International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam and the Sundance Film Festival among others.

“If Gauri was here and I had made an award-winning film on her, she would have certainly scoffed. She was never one for rewards or recognition,” said Kavitha.

“I am thankful to the jury of TWFF for recognizing the ‘spirit’ of the film, which exposes both the physical and mental threats being faced by journalists across the country. Over 200 journalists have sacrificed their lives in the last five years around the globe.”

The hour-long film pays tribute to all those who laid down their lives for voicing the truth, says Kavitha. “September 5, 2017 was the darkest day of my life. The brutal assassination of my sister by right-wing extremists shook the conscience of people across the country and abroad.” Kavitha believes that though the cause of such murders is attributed to ‘hurting religious sentiments,’ in Gauri’s case, there was another reason too — an attempt to muzzle free press. “Do you know India ranks 150 in the global index for freedom of expression?” she asks.

Initially, Kavitha wanted to make a full-length feature film on Gauri, but dropped the idea considering the cost involved and the pressure of creating a commercial film for a production house. Whilst fighting to get justice for her sister, knocking on the doors of State and judiciary, Kavitha wrote the script and shot the film commissioned by Free Press Unlimited, Netherlands. While over 300 filmmakers across the globe expressed interest in making documentaries on slain journalists, Kavitha is one of the four filmmakers who was chosen.

Kavitha says the proposal she sent to Free Press Unlimited was based on extensive research and an incisive understanding of Gauri’s life and her contribution to basic human rights. “I shot the documentary in various parts of the country, where she left her mark. Gauri speaks intensely about the risk of being persecuted by the State and hounded by society,” she says, adding that she opted for a big canvas to portray the radical, ideological and political situation in the country.