Provoked, A True Story

A quiet night in London, Tuesday, May 19, 1989, was suddenly broken by the sound of screams of hysteria, fear and heartbreaking.A male descendant of Punjab, Deepak Ahluwalla, was found burned almost the entire body. Police on duty at that time, James O'Connell, immediately rushed to sent him to the hospital. While his wife, Kiranjit Ahluwalla, also was also on the scene in a state of shock and shaken, with two children, Ranjeev and Sundeep, taken to police headquarters for questioning.
Kiran was accused of burning her own husband. The lawyer who represent her, Miriam Taylor, could not do much to help her from punishment, despite knowing Kiran was a victim of abuse of her husband for 10 years. Lately, because the wound was very severe, Deepak also died, so that prosecutors charge her for planned murder.
The first difficulty of the lawyer was substandard communication, since English of Kiran was not good enough. In addition, she also tied the culture brought from India, that the problem of the household was a shameful disgrace that no other people deserved to know. That was why, Kiran refused to speak in court. But witnesses who filed it against her because they lied. Mother-in-law who entrusted to take care of her two sons, said it was she who had been arrogant towards her husband.Then she lied never seen violence done by Deepak to Kiran. Besides that the police, James O'Connell told by the prosecution had to lie by saying after the tragedy Kiran had disappeared. Only a doctor who treated the woman who said she was the victim of abuse as she ever checked the wounds which said by her had suffered because of fall.
Kiran was decided guilty by the court. She also began to enter her new life and violent women in prison. But luckily, Kiran was in the same room with Veronicawho was also imprisoned for murdering her husband.Instantly she was sympathetic to her because Kiran is often haunted by nightmares about her treatment so far.
To Veronica, Kiran told verething what had never expressed to others. Men who previously unknown, betrothed to her and eventually married her, Deepak, did not show symptoms early in their marriage was weird.When moving into a new house, Deepak started acting possessive.When you felt jealous, he did not hesitate of hitting Kiran. In fact, he himself used to sleep with another woman. In addition, spending money Kiran was circumscribed so that is very minimal. In fact, when drunk, Deepak also often forced to serve him, raped her. This went on for ten years. When containing a second child, Kiran almost miscarried because pushed to fall from a ladder.
That night, the anger which buried for 10 years was unbearable. When Deepak was in bed, she walked over, carrying petrol and candles. She poured gasoline into her husband's body. Startled, her husband woke up and jumped. Consequently, the candles held by Kiran felt and the fire grabbed her husband's body which stain by gasoline.
Kiran and Veronica finally became friends. Veronica helped her to improve her English. They often located in the library to read and learn, because Kiran said she wanted to study the law, but thi wish was not allowed by her husband. Forbade the wives of their culture against the wishes of the husband.
The case of Kiran also drew the attention of Radha Dalal, an activist who handle the victims of wife of domestic violence. Together with some friends who are also of Indian descent, she was trying to help Kiran.When Kiran had missed his two sons who are not allowed to visit her by her mother in-law, Radha connected them with false court letter. Radha also tried so Kiran got the court again. Problem was, they did not find lawyers who want to open the case and worked voluntarily. This difficulty heard by Veronica. She then phoned her brother who became a lawyer to help Kiran.
In collaboration with Veronica’s brother, Radha Dalal and his friends found a way to invoke a retrial for the case of Kiran. In addition, they are also active in mobilizing public support by opening up this issue in the media as well as making pamphlets. Radha persuaded Kiran to talk directly to the public. With the provision of English that has improved, Kiran wrote his feelings over the years, and Radha read it in the middle of the show support for Kiran.
Finally, their struggle was not in vain. The court granted the request of a retrial for Kiran. After 3 years 4 months detained, September 1992, Kiran declared free by the courts, and could be reunited with her two children. She was known as a defender of women's rights and was awarded the British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Produksi : Motion Picture Partners Internasional, British Media Fund International
Director : Jag Mundhra
Producer : Sunanda Murali Manohar
Music : A.R. Rahman
Story : Biografi Kiranjit Ahluwalla oleh Rahita Gupta & Kiranjit Ahluwalla
Cast : Aishwarya Rai, Miranda Richardson, Naveen Andrews, Rebecca Pidgeon, Nandita Das

Gandhi, My Father

Nobody denies the greatness of the name of Mahatma Gandhi as a hero of anti-violence who strugged for India's freedom. All people of India regarded him as father of the nation. And no one believed when one day in the year 1946, a man looking like shaggy and dirty due to drunken vagrant found dying, said his father's name was Gandhi.
Harilal Gandhi.was eldest son of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba.When his family was in Africa because his father, alienated the British government, Harilal stayed in India. He later married Gulab had betrothed to him, without the permission of his father. His father thought he's too young to get married. In order to persuade his father, Harilal went to Africa without his wife. He began learning his father's struggle, managing the newspaper and publishing a book that spoke of human rights and every nation to gain independence.Then Mahatma’s vexation dissapeared and Gulab was called to Africa to live with them.
Their struggle was never smoothly worked. Mahatma Gandhi was in prison. Harilal replaced to be an orator, lead the demonstrations. Mahatma Gandhi's freedom, instead of Harilal was in jail. His wife and daughter, Rami, chose return to India at the request of Mahatma. Harilal requested to keep accompanies of his father's struggle.
Harilal’s disappointment at his father's decision to send his wife back to India was peaked when a scholarship to study in England was given to him just a gift for someone else's child. Harilal himself was eager to learn English and went to law collage to continue their law firm, and became the successor of Gandhi's struggle.
After being free from the punishment, Mahatma invited back to fight with him, but Harilal refused. He should feel constrained by rules that made by his father. His father would never understood his desire.He decided to live his own life and returned to India, following his wife and doughter.
But living in India, without a title and content, made Harilal difficult to find a decent job. Moreover, the name of Gandhi was a heavy burden on his life. He lived at a rent house with his wife and children, living hand to mouth because of an uncertain income. When the Mahatma and his family returned to India to continue the struggle, Harilal tried to persuade his father to give them the capital to try a business.What a disappointment to him, heard nearly all the property, land and houses, again has been granted by his father to help others who are regarded as brothers in arms.
Harilal again speculated to start a business. He even dared to take risks for the debt. Because of the greatness of Gandhi's name, many people gave confidence to invest their capital. But because it always failed, Harilal more debt piling up. Her house was frequently visited by debt collectors. Even Mahatma Gandhi himself told his friends to demand Harilal who abuse the trust.
Harilal's life was increasingly erratic, when Gulab his wife died. Her children lived and cared by Mahatma Gandhi and his wife. His life was not ungodly johnny. Had converted to Islam because he wanted to show his rebellion to his father, but returned to Hinduism later.Physical and mental getting damaged because of being a slave of liquor and often found drunk in the street.
How ironic! Mahatma Gandhi, considered a hero who saved the soul of millions of Indian Nations, was unable to save the soul of his own son. Apparently, there is indeed no human being is perfect in this world.

Produksi : Anil Kapoor Film Company
Director : Feroze Khan
Producer : Anil Kapoor
Writer : Chandulal Dalal
Cast : Akshaye Khanna sebagai Harilal Gandhi, Darshan Jariwala sebagai Mahatma Gandhi, Bhoomika Chawla sebagai Gulab Gandhi, Shefaly Shetty sebagai Kasturba Gandhi, Vinay Jain, Marion Hind, Daniel Janks