Hindustan Times, 29/10/2011
Review of ‘Father Son and the Holy War’ by Anand Patwardhan
In Ram ke Naam (1992), Anand Patwardhan made the world sit up and take note of his no-holds-barred take on the flavour of Hindu fundamentalism that culminated in the mindless violence at Ayodhya. Then he burrowed deeper into why, apart from being the result of a social tumult that powerful politicians sought to profit from, this conflagration came about in the way and at the time it did. Why did tens of thousands of common people -mostly men – from across the country answer the rallying cry of the politically motivated? …. Patwardhan explores whether the spiralling violence is mainly the result of this confrontational construct of manhood. It’s a rare narrative in a country that’s still plummeting in the name of religion. A must-watch.
Review of ‘Children of the Pyre’ by Rajesh S. Jala
This is yet another product of Enlighten’s march to shine light on – and, in most cases, bring back from oblivion – some of the best documentaries produced in India. … There’s a chilling directness to the film. The kids, high on something or the other, relish the fact their lives are scandalous to others. One of them tells Rajesh Jala’s camera: “I hope more people die and we get more shrouds.”
‘Children of the Pyre‘ has been released in the retail market by Under Construction with Enlighten and DVDs of the film is available in all leading bookshops and video stores across India. DVDs of ‘Children of the Pyre’ can also be ordered online at the Under Construction website.