At one point in Vinta Nanda’s film Shout, a furious Manipuri woman explodes, following the rape and murder of Thangjam Manorama, allegedly by the Indian Army, in 2004. “Hey, Indian Army, come out,” she screams with rage, “Rape us! Kill us! We are all Manorama’s mother!” Elderly women of the Meira Paibi group gathered at the 17th Assam Rifles headquarters, stripped themselves naked, covered only by a banner that said, “Indian Army, Rape Us! Take our Flesh!” We’ve seen the clip before. Yet, it is unbelievable—and rare and compelling—to see such fury in an Indian woman, as Indian women’s mainly dominant gene is compromise. Again, Assamese journalist Sabita Lahkar recalls the time her editor, Homen Borgohain, allegedly groped, then taunted her: “I called him a dog in front of the whole office. I’ll never work for a dog like you,” she said.  

Nanda’s Shout is an important documentary exploring the evolution and uneven gains of the contemporary feminist movement in India. It is wide in scope, exploring many aspects of feminism, and through many lenses, including human rights, domestic violence, sexual violence, #MeToo, patriarchy, religion, caste, discrimination, Partition, state oppression, evolution of laws, literature, culture and films. It functions like a vital, all-India Bharat Jodo of feminists and feminism. It’s also a searing indictment of India today and how it treats its women. Nanda is producer, director and writer of several television serials, including the trailblazing Tara. She also directed the film White Noise, and founded The Third Eye, and The Daily Eye, a news portal. She was in the news as part of the #MeToo movement, after she filed an FIR against popular TV star Alok Nath, for alleged rape, in 2018. Tragically, women are rarely believed.