Ananad Patwardhane doesn’t care about easy applause. The filmmaker, who made his name with insightful, vivid documentaries that draw attention to both important and controversial topics, has been turning his camera to unrest and tension since the early 70s. His current interests have included social inequality, the reality of the oppressed, the Dalit movement, the origins of the Babri Masjid demolition, models of masculinity intertwined with sexual violence, and nationalist rhetoric coupled with the militarization of discourse that accompanies India. Pakistan’s nuclear tests. All these issues are intertwined, creating a complex network of connections. Patwardhan’s work has earned him international recognition and awards in India and abroad, and in 2014 he was awarded the prestigious V. Shantaram Award for Lifetime Achievement at the Mumbai International Film Festival. However, facing systemic problems due to his choice of subjects, the director has faced government censorship on many occasions and has fought numerous lengthy court battles to have his films broadcast in India.

“The Reason (Vivek), which premiered in Toronto and was awarded in Amsterdam, does not aim to gain an ardent following. On the contrary, it also has every chance of resonating. Through the pre-tested structure of the film, divided into chapters, Patwardhan, a secular rationalist, once again raises topics that provoke heated debate and social unrest (read: communal violence leading to aggression and bloodshed) in India. In doing so, he reveals the grim face of the world’s largest democracy.

Over the course of his 240-minute documentary, the filmmaker wastes no time in establishing the broader context, presenting evidence, talking to witnesses and participants in the incidents and people representing both sides of the debate, compiling what political scientist and Indologist Veronika Rokicka correctly calls an indictment. And the role of the accused falls on the Indian government, as Patwardhan blames the ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (Indian People’s Party) for the alarming wave of violence, which has promoted narratives that have allowed fringe ideologies to penetrate the mainstream since 2014, when the party gained control of a majority in parliament.

The filmmaker takes his time, without shouting accusations, and builds his arguments with feverish precision. Whenever we hear his voiceover, it undoubtedly belongs to a bright, careful speaker who not only asks probing questions but also encourages the audience to ask their own. However, the moments when he allows himself to speak are rare. Patwardhan provides only the brief commentary necessary to fit in all the pieces of a puzzle or to start a new train of thought. He follows people, archival news, participates in events, posing as a witness and a prosecutor at the same time.

We know the context from the media. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ministers condemn all acts of violence; although many commentators criticize the government for not taking a firmer stance against them and for not ensuring adequate measures to combat them. Too often, the sympathies of rulers drift toward marginalized groups, and disturbing connections are exposed. Contrary to the nation’s concept of “unity in diversity,” which emphasizes the country’s multicultural, multiethnic and multireligious heritage, the BJP’s nationalist view proposes a monolith. A state of one religion (Hinduism, ubiquitous in public life), one language (increasing dominance of Hindi, hence marginalization of Dravidians) and one Sanskrit (without hinting at Aryan) cultural heritage. The commitment to the true tradition is also reflected in the proper attire. Thus, Modi’s opponents mock that a suit really does make a true patriot. In this narrative, not only the British colonizers are the invaders and oppressors, but also the Mughals or rulers who founded the Delhi Sultanate many centuries ago. So, monuments like the Taj Mahal became a thorn in the radicals’ side. The names of cities, stations and streets are being changed to eradicate Muslim heritage.

Patwardhan is alarmed that extreme right-wing patriotism is taking on a blatant form as various attempts to rewrite history are made. For example, the 17th century Maratha king Shivaji, who fought the Mughals, is glorified for imposing Hindu traditions, but the fact that he had Muslims as close associates and officers and was by no means anti-Muslim or anti-Islamic is omitted. The grandiose plans to build a statue of Shivaji over 200 meters high to “make the nation proud” look bitterly comical.

In a similar attempt to change history, V. D. Savarkar, a Hindutva ideologue and dubious hero who opposes inclusive values, has become a towering nationalist icon. (For the curious, a small example of the “icon’s” view of caste: all the caste system has done is regulate its noble blood according to the principles in which our saintly and patriotic legislators and kings believe-and rightly so-our saintly and patriotic legislators and kings have contributed most to the fertilization and enrichment of all that is barren and poor, without starving or degrading all that is prosperous and nobly endowed.)

We won’t see it in the documentary, but let me remind you for the record that the infamous local politician who offered a reward for the beheading of actress Deepika Padukone as well as director Sanjay Leela Bhansali for allegedly defaming the legendary queen in the yet-to-be-filmed Padmavaat was a BJP member.