The Flamethrower

Deepa Mehta is no stranger to acclaim – or to controversy.

Her films have been banned – and nominated for two Academy Awards. She has opened film festivals, been threatened, won awards, faced violent protest, and has continued, unfazed, to make the films that have meaning to her through it all.

From the celebrated Midnight’s Children to the controversial Elements trilogy of Earth, Fire and Water, Deepa’s films tackle society’s deepest faultlines: racism, religion, sexuality, patriarchy, politics.

As part of our Intimate at Algebra rubric, we were delighted to host an informal bar-style conversation with the celebrated filmmaker as she brought her newest film, The Anatomy of Violence to India.

The film, which recently opened at festivals in Toronto and Iceland, is a provocative look at sexual violence through the lens of the perpetrators and, in trademark Mehta fashion, raising hackles, questions, and ultimately introspection everywhere she goes.

Set in the context of the horrific Nirbhaya rape in 2012, Deepa reconstructed the lives of the perpetrators and delved into the complex psycho-sociological issues that triggered the brutality inflicted on Jyoti Singh; the devastating cocktail of squalor, thwarted ambition and frustration that caused men with no history of violence to commit arguably the most brutal crime in recent memory.

Watch the full session above.