Reality Bytes: Anand Patwardhan’s Documentaries on Human Rights Issues

Anand Patwardhan is one of the filmmakers who used documentary films as a powerful medium of political communication. He deals with the pressing issues such as housing problems of the urban poor, negative impact of globalization, violation of human rights, development-induced displacement, gender discrimination, communal violence and so on. This paper attempts to analyse the documentary films of Anand Patwardhan with a view of ascertaining the role of activism and political communication. The study mainly focuses on the treatment and depiction of human rights issues in his documentary films. A critical review of the documentary films of Anand Patwardhan reveals that he is the great champion of human rights who uses documentary films as a powerful tool of political communication. Whether it is fundamentalism, gender justice, nuclear nationalism, portrayal of women, oppression of Dalits and Adivasis, or development–induced displacement, he makes his strong statements by using mighty camera.

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