How the Documentary ‘To Kill a Tiger’ Found Its Hero in a 13-Year-Old Rape Survivor

TheWrap magazine: Nisha Pahuja’s film charts a young Indian girl’s astonishing courage and explores the toxic masculinity that enables sexual violence

To Kill a Tiger
"To Kill a Tiger" (Credit: Notice Pictures)

Initially, Canadian filmmaker Nisha Pahuja planned to make a documentary about masculinity in India. But as she filmed in the northeastern state of Jharkhand, following activists from a local gender equality NGO, she met Ranjit, a man seeking justice for his 13-year-old daughter Kiran (not her real name), who had been raped and beaten by three men from their village. The movie relates the family’s perseverance and courage, especially the survivor’s, as they challenged a seemingly intractable legal system and culture — the ferocious tiger of the film’s title. 

We spoke to Pahuja about making the film.

Can you explain how you came to make a documentary about Kiran and the trauma she and her family went through?
I’ve been making films in India around gender for quite some time.

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