Svati Bhatkal: Shouldn’t have a judgmental gaze

Director Svati Bhatkal, whose offering Rubaru Roshni is nominated for Best Web Film in the upcoming mid-day and Radio City Hitlist Web Awards, on exploring subject of forgiveness through cases of murder and violence.

Svati Bhatkal: Shouldn't have a judgmental gaze

A still from the film

Svati Chakravarty Bhatkal, director

It's important to be balanced, and allow both sides to have their say. People deal with a lot, even in the re-telling of their story. So, it's about staying sensitive and not having a judgmental gaze," shares the director.

Ranjeet Singh Gill was convicted for the murder of MP Lalit Maken

Her biggest take-away from the experience was an interaction between two protagonists — Ranjeet Singh Gill aka Kuki, and Avantika Maken, whose parents had been murdered by the former. "Knowing that I was heading to Delhi [where Maken resides], Kukiji and his wife handpicked flowers to create a bouquet for Avantika. When I took it to Avantika, I wasn't sure how she would react to it. But she placed it in a vase and set it [in the living room]. I felt I had been a medium for that to happen," says Bhatkal, who is currently working on her next. "It explores violence from a different lens."

Aamir Khan

So moved was he by the material at hand that producer Aamir Khan had decided to have a television premiere of the documentary, followed by its release on Hotstar and Netflix. In a chat with mid-day last year, explaining his decision, Khan had said, "When I saw the film, I cried... I wanted people across the country to see it first, and then the world. I chose to premiere it on TV due to the wide reach of the medium."

More about Rubaru Roshni

Rubaru Roshni has been screened for prisoners and juvenile convicts across India. Bhatkal says the screening was cathartic for a bunch of girls who were rescued from trafficking and were dealing with anger issues.
Bhatkal received a note from Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Rajmohan stating that he had loved her film.