Ram Ke Naam (In the Name of God) at BFI Southbank

A beautifully constructed examination of the events leading up to the demolition by Hindu nationalists of a 16th-century mosque in Ayodha. A heartfelt cri de coeur against India’s growing betrayal of first principles and its turn away from secularism, this is a beautifully constructed examination of the events leading up to the demolition by Hindu nationalists of a sixteenth-century mosque in Ayodha. It investigates the role played by upper-class Hindus who appear to have renounced ascetism in favour of materialism, but also pays homage to Hindu liberation theologians who hold more radical visions of their religion. Plus We Are Not Your Monkeys (1996, 5min): a short music video, co-written by Patwardhan with Dalit poets Daya Pawar and Sambhaji Bhagat, that deploys images of Hindu deities with contemporary street-theatre footage to reappraise critically the conservative gender politics of the Ramayana epic.