Recognizing Toxic Masculinity: Nisha Pahuja’s ‘To Kill a Tiger’ Receives Oscar Nomination for Best Documentary Feature Film
- Written and directed by the Indo-Canadian filmmaker, the film was executive produced by several notable Indian Americans, including Mindy Kailing, Kal Penn and Dr. Atul Gawande.
Indo-Canadian filmmaker Nisha Pahuja’s “To Kill a Tiger” has been nominated for the best documentary feature at the 2024 Academy Awards. Set in a small Indian village, the film, written and director by Pahuja, tells the story of Ranjit, a farmer in Jharkhand, who takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of a gang rape, according to a synopsis of the film. “An ordinary man thrust into extraordinary circumstances, Ranjit’s love for his daughter forces a social reckoning that will reverberate for years to come.”
The film had its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival where it won the Amplify Voices Award for Best Canadian Feature Film. Since then, it’s won over 20 awards, including Best Documentary Feature at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and three Canadian Screen Awards.
“I am beyond thrilled that ‘To Kill a Tiger’ has been nominated for an Academy Award,” Pahuja said in a statement. “This is an extraordinary honor for the creative team behind this eight-year journey, and it’s a testament to the tireless group of women working outside the normal ecosystem to ensure this story is seen and does what it needs to in the world,” she added. Noting that the film and its accolades are because “a farmer in India, his wife and their 13-year-old daughter had the courage to demand her human rights,” she added that she hopes that it will “encourage other survivors to seek justice and that men stand with us in our fight for gender equality.”
Pahuja told The Hollywood Reporter that she hopes the Oscar nomination will help end toxic masculinity by tackling patriarchal practices and attitudes.
“To Kill a Tiger” is made with the assistance of The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, Ontario Creates, and Rogers Telefund, in association with TVO and Knowledge Network. It is produced and executive produced by Pahuja, Kal Penn, Mindy Kaling, Cornelia Principe, and David Oppenheim. Additional executive producers include Andy Cohen, Anita Lee, Atul Gawande, Andrew Dragoumis, Samarth Sahni, Deepa Mehta, and Shivani Rawat.
The film grew out of a long career of addressing various human rights issues, notably violence against women in India. In 2015, Pahuja won an Amnesty International Media Award for Canadian journalism after making a short film about the Delhi bus gang rape for Global News. Her other past credits include the multi-award-winning “The World Before Her,” the series “Diamond Road,” and the NFB documentary “Bollywood Bound.”
Other films nominated in the category include “Bobi Wine: The People’s President,” “The Eternal Memory,” “Four Daughters,” and “20 Days in Mariupol.” The 96th annual Academy Awards will be held on March 10 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles.
(Top photo, courtesy of Shelter PR)