News Broadcasting
Paladin to theatrically release ‘India’s Daughter’ in US
MUMBAI: Leslee Udwin’s documentary, India’s Daughter, will be released theatrically in the US by Paladin, with openings in New York and Los Angeles on 23 and 30 October respectively.
India’s Daughter tells the story of the savage rape and eventual death of 23 year-old medical student, Jyoti Singh, in New Delhi in December of 2012, an event that shook the social fabric of the country — and the world — to the core. Udwin’s film was catapulted to global attention in March of this year when it was banned in India just two days before its scheduled broadcast.
Singh was a young physiotherapy student from a poor family in New Delhi, and a symbol of a 21 century India in which economic growth is expanding opportunity for women and men alike. With dreams of a career in medicine, she asked her parents to use her wedding dowry to pay for her education. Despite protest from the extended family, her parents willingly obliged and sold the family’s ancestral land to put her through school.
On 26 December, 2012 she went to see Life of Pi with a male friend. When they boarded a private bus to return home, the young man was beaten senseless, and Singh was dragged to the rear of the bus and repeatedly gang raped. Her assailants brutalized her as they circled the city, injuring her internal organs, and ultimately eviscerating her with an iron rod. Miraculously, she survived for 13 days before her surgeons could do no more to save her. Her tragic death raised the fury of Indian women and men alike, and New Delhi saw an explosion of public outrage that resulted in a month of unprecedented mass street protests throughout the nation, and a government crackdown with water canons and tear-gas.
In India’s Daughter, Udwin unspools the extraordinary story of Singh and her forward-thinking family, while also probing the culture of rape and the psyche of her attackers. One of the film’s most astonishing scenes is a confession by one of the perpetrators, filmed in prison, that provides crucial insight into the mindset of the men who committed the rape, and explores the wider dynamics of a patriarchal society and culture which seeds violence against women.
Following its debut in Great Britain earlier this year, and presentations at festivals and conferences throughout the world,India’s Daughter has become a source of considerable controversy, with some advocates calling it essential viewing and a film that can spark change for women in India and worldwide, while others criticise it for giving a megaphone to the rapists’ point of view, for bringing shame upon India, ignoring the Indian women’s movement, and violating the rights of both the victim and the accused. For bearing witness to the truth about rape in global society Udwin was honored as a New York Times 2015 Woman of Impact, and won the prestigious Anna Lindh Human Rights Award for her groundbreaking work in advancing the rights of women.
India’s Daughter is directed and produced by Udwin. Co-producer is Dibang and associate producers are Riddhi Jha and Frieda Pinto. Executive Producer is Nick Fraser. Editor is Anuradha Singh with original music by Krsna. Sound Designer is Resul Pookutty, CAS MPSE and story editor is Rob Ritchie. Shot on location in Delhi, India.
News Broadcasting
Times Network to air JVC Exit Poll across 5 regions on April 29
Four-hour broadcast spans states and Puducherry with data-led analysis
MUMBAI: Times Network is set to roll out what it calls one of its most expansive election programming efforts yet, culminating in the JVC Exit Poll on 29 April, with a multi-hour broadcast spanning key poll-bound regions.
The exit poll will air across Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, beginning at 5pm and 4pm respectively. Co-powered by Vedanta and Jindal Stainless, the programming aims to combine on-ground reportage with data-driven projections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The network has deployed over 50 journalists across these regions, gathering voter sentiment and local insights in the run-up to polling. The effort builds on its ongoing election formats such as Election Yatra and Election Premier League, which have tracked campaign narratives and community-level issues.
In parallel, Times Now Navbharat has focused on constituency-level reporting in West Bengal through its Jan Gan ka Mann series, capturing voter opinions across diverse segments.
The coverage has also featured interviews with prominent political leaders. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan have appeared on the network’s election specials. From Tamil Nadu, voices including deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, BJP leader K Annamalai and NTK’s Seeman have also featured in discussions.
On the day of the exit poll, the network’s primetime anchors, including Navika Kumar, Zakka Jacob and Sumit Awasthi, will lead the coverage. They will be joined by a panel of political analysts, psephologists and senior journalists offering real-time insights and interpretation of trends.
The programming will integrate grassroots reportage with analytics from the JVC Exit Poll, aiming to give viewers an early sense of electoral outcomes ahead of the official results on 4 May.
With its combined English and Hindi broadcast reach, Times Network is positioning this effort as a comprehensive look at voter sentiment, blending field reporting, data and debate to decode what could lie ahead when the final mandate is revealed.
