While We Watched

While We Watched (2022)

The Prime Time Indian TV journalist, Ravish Kumar, is in trouble.

Famous for his unflinching takedowns of the ruling establishment during his long-running primetime news hour, his nerves have begun to fray from carrying the torch of ‘good journalism’ for too long. In the public eye, Ravish has become a regular fixture, beaming from TV sets and widely shared phone videos. His primetime news bulletin has long been characterized by solid research, verified evidence, vignette-style notes from the field, and a sharp commentary with a touch of rustic sass. In the Indian media landscape, Kumar’s show is a far cry from the new industry standard of high-decibel, polarizing, blustering TV news debates.

As press freedom further disintegrates and self-censorship becomes the new normal, Kumar struggles to stay afloat in the rising tide of his own network’s financial hardships, sinking TRP ratings, and the strain of continuous downsizing. The dangerously deteriorating standard of public discourse finds Ravish at the receiving end of harassment, intimidation, morphed images, threats to his life and even violence against his family.

With a growing target on his back, and the looming threat of his network’s imminent closure, Ravish transforms from a spunky troublemaker into a deeply troubled man, worried for himself, his family, and the soul of his nation.

• Runtime: 95 mins
• Country: United Kingdom / India
• Film Language: Hindi, English
• Subtitle Language: English, Malay

“A poetic love letter to Indian Journalism and a throbbing elegy for press freedom.” - Vulture

Director

Vinay Shukla

Vinay Shukla is a filmmaker, producer, and a leading figure in the Indian documentary landscape. His debut feature in 2016, the non- fiction political thriller, ‘An Insignificant Man’ (co-directed with Khushboo Ranka) was internationally acclaimed, set a new anti- censorship precedent, and went on to become the most theatrically successful documentary film in India. His short film ‘Bureaucracy Sonata’ (2011), won the HBO Best Short Film Award at the South Asian International Film Festival in 2012.

His work has attracted distinguished partnerships with Sundance, DocSociety, NFDC India, Asian Network of Documentaries, IDFA, and IDFA Bertha. His work has been previously celebrated at Warsaw Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival, BFI London, Sheffield Doc/Fest, among other leading festivals in the world. Vinay has also produced the globally renowned political strategy board games ‘SHASN’, and its sequel, ‘SHASN: AZADI’.

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