Ram ke Naam
Ram ke Naam In the Name of God | |
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Directed by | Anand Patwardhan |
Produced by | Anand Patwardhan |
Release date |
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Running time | 75 minutes |
Country | India |
Languages | English, Hindi |
Ram ke Naam (English: In the Name of God) is a 1992 documentary by Indian filmmaker
Background
In 1526 following the
In the 1980s, the
Synopsis
Ram ke Naam explores the VHP's campaign to demolish the Babri Masjid and build a temple to Rama in its place. The film begins with a clip of an organizer describing Advani's rath yatra in 1990. It then shows scenes from the yatra, with young men dressed in saffron seen in Ayodhya, followed by a video prepared by the VHP. The video depicts an incident at the temple in 1949, when an idol of Rama "appeared" inside the mosque. In the VHP's retelling, Rama is shown descending from the sky and miraculously appearing in the mosque, watched by astonished spectators, followed by a member of the VHP telling the same story.[9]
The documentary then shifts to interviews with Muslim residents, who state that they do not have access to justice, and describe the destruction that occurred during communal riots in 1986. Patwardhan then interviews young male members of the VHP, who say that they will take Ayodhya by force if they need to. One of the men is unable to answer a question about historicity of Rama's date of birth. The film then shows Advani's yatra entering the state of Bihar, and several provocative speeches by politicians of the BJP. This is followed by an interview with a tax inspector, who was fired for objecting to irregularities in the tax returns of the VHP. Patwardhan interviews Baba Lal Das, a Hindu priest of the idols within the mosque compound, who described the VHP's agitation as unnecessary, and an attempt to create religious tension. The film concludes with a clip of people at a BJP rally attempting to justify the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by Nathuram Godse.[9]
Reception and analysis
The film received a positive reception from critics, and also received several national and international awards. A review in the magazine Manushi stated that the film was a reminder of "that rare commodity called truth," and went on to say that although the film might be considered to have flaws of a technical nature, it should be mandatory viewing for people who wished to understand the Ayodhya dispute.[9]
The VHP and its affiliates in the
Patwardhan was already fairly well known thanks to his earlier films, such as Prisoners of Conscience, which critiqued the state of emergency imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the mid 1970s. However, Ram ke Naam earned him a wide recognition for the first time.[16]
Awards
- Filmfare Award Best Documentary, India, 1992
- National Film Award, Best Investigative Documentary, India, 1992[17]
- Ecumenical Prize, Nyon, Switzerland, 1993
- Documentary Prize, Fribourg International Film Festival, Switzerland, 1993[18]
- Citizen’s Prize, Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, Japan, 1992[19]
References
- ^ Bhagat, Rasheeda (28 September 2010). "The Ayodhya Conundrum". The Hindu Business Line. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
- S2CID 69004346.
- ISBN 81-85504-16-4.
- ^ "Timeline: Ayodhya holy site crisis". BBC News. 6 December 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- ISBN 978-0-330-39610-3.
- ISBN 978-81-250-2476-7.
- JSTOR 1465279.
- ^ Guha, Ramachandra (2007). India After Gandhi. MacMillan. pp. 633–659.
- ^ a b c Pande, Mrinal (November 1992). "Ram Ke Naam Chronicle of a demolition Foretold" (PDF). Manushi (73). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 November 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ Sen, Manjula (26 December 1993). "College Barred From Screening Film". The Times of India.
- ^ Joshi, Namrata (9 August 2011). "Naked Man Outside Frame". Outlook. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- ^ Maclay, Kathleen. "Anand Patwardhan, the 'Michael Moore of India,' brings his hard-hitting documentary films to campus". UC Berkeley News. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- Pune Mirror. 7 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ "YouTube blocks Anand Patwardhan's documentary 'Ram Ke Naam' for users under the age of 18".
- ^ "Three campuses: The brouhaha over the screening of Ram Ke Naam".
- S2CID 142194323.
- ^ "40th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ "Anand Patwardhan". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- ^ "YIDDF 1993". Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
External links
- Official website of Anand Patwardhan
- Ram ke Naam on You Tube
- Directorate General of Doordarshan v. Anand Patwardhan. Case law regarding Doordarshan's refusal to broadcast the film