'To Kill A Tiger' review: Defying the rhetoric of rape culture in India

India, a land steeped in mythological tales extolling the virtues of goddesses and their divine strength, faces a perplexing dichotomy. While its scriptures are rich with stories of female deities representing power and resilience, the reality for women in the country starkly contrasts these ideals. Despite the veneration of these goddesses, women often find themselves subjected to sexual assault and violence on a daily basis, highlighting the obvious contradiction woven into the nation's cultural fabric. The deeply rooted misogynistic structure perpetuates a narrative where women are burdened with the responsibility of carrying the shame and blame for the transgressions committed against them. A recent documentary defies this frighteningly nonchalant rhetoric of rape culture in the nation.

Directed by Indian-born Canadian writer-director Nisha Pahuja, "To Kill a Tiger" chronicles Ranjit, a rural farmer and father's challenging quest for justice for his 13-year-old daughter who has been sexually assaulted by three men. In a country where rape cases are reported every 20 minutes and conviction rates remain below 30 per cent (according to a broadcast reporter glimpsed in the documentary), this father's decision to stick by his daughter rewrites the narrative of rape as a passive tragedy, where the victim is held more responsible for the heinous crime than the perpetrator. Through intimate access, the documentary recounts the emotional journey of an ordinary man confronting a giant monster with exceptional courage.

Instead of justice, police makes the appalling suggestion to resolve the rape of a minor girl by arranging her marriage to one of her rapists to 'save face'. The threats of isolation and violence from the community that the family faces, as depicted in the film, reveal society's deep-seated indifference and even animosity that society harbours towards women, as well as the systemic ways in which men's lives are regarded as superior to women's in that they are protected with no sense of responsibility.

The film intimately follows Ranjit's emotional struggles as he battles with humiliation, community criticism, financial difficulties, and an inattentive police force, all while providing emotional support to his daughter in the aftermath of the tragic event. As the judicial process progresses, doubts emerge about whether a guilty verdict would heal or further divide the community. Throughout it all, Ranjit commits a simple but crucial act: acknowledging his daughter's humanity.

We are outrage-driven people. We are furious about everything in this country, from religion to cuisine to sports to politics, yet it all fades away when it comes to sexual violence against women. Even today, most people's major concern about rape is the 'bad rep' that comes with it, where the allegation of assaulting a woman is culturally feared more than the act of violence itself.

It's this veritably same system of misplaced shame and responsibility that "To Kill a Tiger" tries to subvert. The director had originally intended to conceal the girl's identity out of respect for her privacy, but the survivor, upon watching the film, expressed a desire to be depicted uncensored, with a sense of pride and a determination to no longer remain hidden and share her story with the world. The courage displayed by both Ranjit and her daughter in the film emerges as a powerful cultural shift that could transfigure the larger narrative about women in society and go some way towards dismantling rape culture across the nation.