If they dont, anything could happen: Their neighbors have threatened to kill the couple and their children.
Instead, they demanded justice.
Those who dare to speak out, like Kiran and her parents, risk a scornful backlash.
‘To Kill a Tiger’Courtesy of the NFB and Notice Pictures
As the film documents, Ranjits attempt to gain assistance from local officials met with hostility.
If the girl wasnt there, would this have happened?
the local ward leader demands of him.
Ranjit and Jaganti talk with lawyer Lakhan Lai.Courtesy of the NFB/Notice Pictures
This is a major thing we should focus on… A girl always bears some blame.
Over that time, she gained a sense of the dynamics in a tiny, rural enclave like Bero.
What the community wanted soon became clear.
They demanded Kirans parents marry the girl to one of her three assailants.
Marriage is the only solution, one village woman insists.
She cant marry another man now.
She has to marry him.
Ranjit and Jiganti, refusing to go along, are ostracized.
We are alone, Jiganti says.
They raped my daughter, Ranjit says forlornly, but they shamed me.
It really is a David and Goliath story.
Any attempt at justice can feel impossible for someone in that status in society.
Patel agreed to come on board as an EP after watching a cut of the film.
The actor says the story told inTo Kill a Tigerhit him on a personal level.
Many of the friends that Ive made there have been exposed to some form of predatory behavior.
It really is an issue of huge proportions in India and globally.
Its not an accident that bold face names like Patel and Kaling became attached to the documentary.
Its a hard subject, Pahuja says.
Its about a survivor whos 13 years old.
Its a Canadian film, but its an Indian story, and its subtitled.
But I think its just so important.
I guess to the naked eye, it looks like something thats going to be not cinematic.
It looks like something thats going to be a real drag to get through.
So, my mission has been getting behind Nisha and trying to get as many people to watch it.
And stories like these need male advocates as much as they need female advocates too.
Drama builds throughoutTo Kill a Tiger, as Ranjit appears on the edge of losing his nerve.
He begins to drink more and misses a few critical court dates.
They were so unified as a family.
They were kind of marching together and really determined to see it through.
Villagers descended on the family home, directing their ire at the film crew.
They threatened to set fire to the house and immolate everyone inside.
I felt fear for the crew.
I felt fear for the family.
I felt very responsible.
Perhaps the biggest dilemma for Pahuja was how to depict Kiran on screen.
We tried many different things, Panhuja says.
We worked with a couple of animators to come up with something.
And we did those tests and that was really interesting.
The only concession to protecting her identity is her name; Kiran is a pseudonym.
She saw the film and said, No need to hide me.
I dont want to be hidden, Pahuja says.
I asked her why she decided to come forward.
And she said it was because she couldnt believe the courage she had at that age.
It is so courageous.
The stigma that survivors of sexual violence experience is global.
In India, theres something kind of pathological about it…
Stepping out of those shadows of shame that are imposed upon you is really important.
Just by their very nature, they impose something on you.
They tell you what you should be.
It comes at a price, and we all pay the price for it.
So, its getting all of us to see that.
Patel says hes trying to enlist more prominent people to support the film and what it stands for.
And thats the goal with this.
Thats a step in the right direction.
