Voices under the Mango Tree [Undercover Asia: Season 2]
92 women are raped in India everyday, some fatally. Sexual violence against women has become India’s burning issue. In December 2012, the country was outraged by the gang-rape and murder of a 23 year of woman on a moving bus in Delhi.
But in May 2014, another terrible crime shocks the world.
In the rural heartlands of Northern India, two teenage cousins are found hanging from a mango tree. The parents allege a brutal caste crime where the girls were raped and murdered.
But soon a web of lies turns what seems like an open and shut case turns into a classic murder mystery.
Undercover Asia travels deep into Northern India to try to uncover the sinister truth. With extensive access to the families of victims, perpetrators and investigators, this documentary revisits the horrors of that fatal night and tracks the investigation as it progresses.
But will the Voices under the Mango Tree ever reveal their secrets?
Behind the Scenes
Credits
Executive Producer
Joshua Whitehead
Editors
Sankalp Meshram | Monisha Baldawa
Producer
Swastika Mehta
Assistant Producers
Aditi Dave
Director of Photography
Gurvinder Singh
Sound Recordist
Devender Singh
Narrator
Andres Williams
Transcriber
Pallavi Sati
Assistant Camera
Amit Singh
Title Design
W2M Design
Assistant Editor
Manish Shirke
Music
Audio Network
Special Thanks
Ankur Chaturvedi | Shubhangi Singh
FOR CNA
Assistant Producer
Sara-Ann Yumi R
FOR CNA
Commissioning Editor
Mok Choy Lin
Director’s Notes
In May 2014, two teenage girls (who were also cousins) were found hanging from a mango tree in Katra Shahadatganj, about 2 hours away from Badaun.
Months later, a web of lies and political intrigue had turned what seemed like an open and shut case into a classic mystery. Everyone was a suspect—the accusers and the accused. All theories of how the girls had died were as possible or impossible as the other, until the CBI settled for suicide.
Almost a year later, Badaun has been struck by another gang rape. Although eerily similar to the first one, this time around the victims have survived, and also identified their assaulters.
This will not be another unsolved whodunit where the girls are denied justice. Or so you think, until whispers on ground echo familiar strains—of a forbidden love affair that has earned the wrath of the village when discovered. It would seem, Badaun and along with it, the rest of the country, has gotten caught in an infinite loop that belts out the same narrative over and over again.
We got to know Badaun a little better when we spent some time there to film an investigative documentary on the double hangings. Of course, by the time our team reached Badaun, five months after the incident, everyone was fatigued and fed up of this blot on their reputation.
As the Village Head told us, “In a radius of 50 kms around this village, there are no high schools or colleges. There is no source of employment – no industry, no factories. We were anyway backward; this incident has not just created a permanent social stigma, but taken us further back in time. Why can’t someone adopt our village and make us a part of the ‘ideal village’ campaign with better infrastructure, education, sanitation, roads and security for women?”
At the end of our shoot, we filmed a focus group discussion with about 50 men at a village close to Badaun. It was like a chowpal, but the voices we captured on camera were disturbing.
A middle-aged man proclaimed, “Mobile phones corrupt girls who use them to slyly court and confuse boys. Poor boys, what can they do”.
Another young chap grinned and said, “A dog can only be tempted with a bone. It’s hardly the fault of the boys as you cannot clap with one hand. The girls and their parents must also be punished”.
But the most chilling voice came from someone who everyone called the ‘Kejriwal of Badaun’ for always calling a spade a spade. He said he would “carry out a shootout and kill his daughters if they brought shame and dishonour to the family”. Many in the group agreed with him. This is deep-rooted misogyny that may take generations to wipe out.
Tragically, whichever way this new case spins, it is obvious that the girls will be denied justice all over again. Be it a case of sexual abuse or a consensual relationship, the misogynists do not believe it to be the girl’s right to either exercise sexual agency or choose not to.
The fact that they were denied this choice clearly lays bare some of the most disturbing mindsets and social norms that perpetrate gender violence in India today.
Accolades
Gold Winner for Best Non-fiction series & Silver for Best News Documentary/Special - The New York Festivals 2016
New York Festivals TV & Film Awards honours content in all lengths and forms from over 50 countries. Embracing all aspects of the Television and Film industries, categories mirror today's global trends and encourage the next generation of story-tellers by recognising innovators in our 14 Category Groups: News Programs, News Reports/Features, Sports Programs, Documentary, Entertainment Programs, Entertainment Specials, Program Crafts, Promotions/Station IDs & Opens, Promo/ID & Open Crafts, Streaming, Student, Films, Corporate Image, and Film Crafts.
International Films Festival Winners
Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood 2016 | Accolade Global Film Festival 2016 [Award of Distinction ] | Asia Pacific International Filmmaker Festival & Awards 2015 [Special Recognition]
Selected to screen
Tirana International Film Festival 2016 | Jaipur International Film Festival 2016