Fiction
CNN documentary looks at child sex trade
The disturbing underworld of child prostitution in Europe is investigated in the latest CNN documentary Easy Prey: Inside the Child Sex Trade. The show is to be telecast on 1 and 8 May at 5:30 pm and on 2 and 9 May at 9:30 am and 4:30 pm.
Filmmakers Liviu Tipurita and Andrew Smith document a thriving industry in Eastern Europe where children are forced to have sex with Western foreigners. The documentary presents solemn and heart-rending testimonials from young boys and girls combined with hidden camera footage of sex negotiations.
One story is that of Laurentiu – the 15 year old homeless boy – who survives by begging during the day and engaging in sex acts with Westerners by night. Many in his gang sleep in the Bucharest Underground and are addicted to sniffing solvents. Liviu Tipurita who narrates the film, meets his young friends, who regularly trade sex for money, food and clothing.
MUMBAI: On Christmas morning, whilst most of Mumbai slept off festive cheer, Satyam Tripathi’s heart gave out. 25 December proved cruelly ironic for a man who’d spent his career crafting drama—this time, there would be no second take. He was only 57.
Tripathi was a scriptwriter’s scriptwriter. Within India’s chaotic television industry, where writers are treated rather like spare parts, he’d carved out something rare: respect. For years, he sat on the executive committee of the Screen Writers Association, helping transform along with other leaders, what was once a talking shop into an organisation with teeth. When writers’ rights were little more than punchlines, Tripathi helped pen a different ending.
His credits read like a greatest hits of Indian telly: Hitler Didi, 12/24 Karol Bagh, Ek Mutthi Aasman, Parvarrish Kuchh Khattee Kuchh Meethi. Millions laughed, cried and switched channels to his work. He also championed the association’s Screen Writing Awards, ensuring that good writing didn’t go unnoticed in an industry obsessed with ratings and revenue.
Those who knew him speak of an affable soul, generous with time and advice. In a cut-throat business, Tripathi was that rarest of creatures: genuinely helpful.
His remains were cremated the same evening in the presence of industry associates and friends. The credits rolled quickly. But his final script—a better deal for India’s writers—continues to play out. That’s the sort of ending he’d have appreciated.
(Scriptwriters, producers and friends will be getting together to honour Satyam Kumud Tripathi’s memory and to hold a prayer meeting on 29 December. The location: Shri Guru Singh Sabha Gurudwara, 4 Bungalows, Andheri West, Mumbai. The time: between 3:30 PM and 5:00 PM.)
