In the Name of God

About the Film

The film focuses on the campaign waged by the militant Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to destroy a 16th-century mosque in Ayodhya said to have been built by Babar. The campaign sparked religious riots that have cost thousands of lives, culminating in the mosque’s destruction by the Hindu nationalists in December of 1992. Filmed prior to the mosque’s demolition, 'Ram ke Naam' examines the motivations that would ultimately lead to the drastic actions of the Hindu militants, as well as the efforts of secular Indians of all creeds to combat the religious intolerance and hatred that seized India in the name of God.

We are screening this film to look back at the event collectively, as the new Ram Mandir is being inaugurated at the site of the Babri Masjid's demolition on January 22 of this year.

About the Director

Anand Patwardhan has been making documentary films for over five decades pursuing issues at the crux of social and political life in India. Many of his films were at one time or another banned by state channels and became the subject of litigation where Anand successfully challenged censorship rulings in court. Active in movements for communal harmony and movements against unsustainable development, militarism and nuclear nationalism, Anand describes himself as “a non-serious human being forced by circumstances to make serious films”