About The Movie
Since the infamous "Nirbhaya" Gangrape case that happened in the heart of Delhi, India has been under the world's eye for rising numbers of crimes against women. The horrific case led to various amendments in India's rape laws, making laws stricter and punishments more severe than ever before. Burden of proof shifted on the accused and testimony of woman alone became sufficient for conviction. While the laws were strengthened to address menace of sexual assault posing threat to lives of innocent women and girls, a new problem seems to be spreading fast in the country posing threat to lives of innocent men and boys - that of false rape accusations.
In July 2013, while acquitting a 75 year old of rape charges, Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhat of a Delhi Court said " Mere statement of a lady that she has been raped, is now taken as gospel truth, the accused arrested and chargesheeted. This has lead to an unprecedented surge in filing of false rape cases...It is these false cases which play havoc with the crime statistics, leading to the labelling of Delhi as a “rape capital.”
In 2016, Justice Nivedita Anil Sharma said, "It is time now to have laws to protect and restore the dignity of men charged with false rape cases as everyone is just fighting to protect the honour of women. While laws are being made for protection of women, some of whom may misuse them, nobody talks about the dignity and honour of a man. " The judge in another case also questioned that if rape victims are now often called rape survivors, should men false accused of rape who are honorably acquitted be called "rape case survivors"
There are many more such observations and judgments coming from each and every corner of the country. Rape - which is one of the most heinous crimes - has its seriousness at stake with frivolous claims being made everywhere and laws made to prevent it being abused for vengeance, extortion and to settle scores. What seems to be a rarity is a concern voiced even by apex courts of the country.
Men & Boys who are falsely accused are the biggest victim of this growing menace.
India's Sons is a feature length documentary film throwing light on lives that have been destroyed because of false accusations of rape. From an 18 year old who spent 5 years in prison before being honorably acquitted to a 70 year old who took his own life because of mere statements ruining his goodwill of years; From an activist who saved animals but got falsely accused of ravishing a woman to an IPS officer who became a victim of a false accusation due to politics; From a man who was one of the several men accused of rape on promise of marriage by the same woman to a man who got falsely accused of gangrape twice by the same woman, the film exposes deep flaws in the system, absolute disregard of rights of one gender in order to protect the other, unbelievable lies that are told with elan in courts and hopelessness that looms over people who are falsely accused. It's a first person account of men and families who bore the brunt of being called a rapist and a rapists family, only to be eventually honorably acquitted of the said crime after years of trial on basis of credible evidence proving beyond doubt that they were falsely accused. It’s a first person account of those whose gender became their biggest curse. It’s a story of those who are being treated as collateral damages - It’s a tale of the false rape case survivors - India’s Sons!
The film brings out voices that matter, facts that are shocking and tales that are moving. The documentary aims to bring to the fore an issue that poses a big threat to sanctity and strength of the rape laws. It makes a case that false rape cases aren't just a threat to men who suffer false accusations but also women who actually suffer trauma of rape. The film sends a message to the society that while its working tirelessly to protect its daughters, it's time for it to wake up to plight of India's Sons!
About the team
Links
- She Too: ‘मी टू’ का फायदा उठाने वालों का सनसनीखेज खुलासा, पूजा बेदी ने इंडियाज सन्स के जरिये दिखाया सच को आईना
- India’s Sons: बलात्कार के झूठे मामलों में फंसे पुरुषों की झकझोर देने वाली कहानी, दीपिका की डॉक्यूमेंट्री में निशाने पर कानून
- India's Sons: Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj on documenting the fallout from false rape cases