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Vinay Shukla’s Award-Winning Journalism Documentary: ‘While We Watched’

Asian Lite International’s columnist Riccha Grrover highlights that the documentary is an impactful character study of a reporter’s unshakable quest to report the truth.

Released across UK and Irish cinemas in July 2023, the film is a turbulent newsroom drama intimately chronicling the working days of broadcast journalist Ravish Kumar as he navigates a spiralling world of truth and disinformation. As factual reporting is in freefall, globally WHILE WE WATCHED is a dignified lens into the abyss.

Produced by the U.K’s Lono Studio and BritDoc Films, the documentary debuted at the Toronto Film Festival 2022, where it won the Amplify Voices award. It then picked up the Cinephile award at the Busan International Film Festival, won the International Competition award at Helsinki’s DocPoint festival, and most recently picked up the prestigious Sabeen Mahmud award for Courage in Cinema. Shukla previously directed the controversial Indian documentary ‘AN INSIGNIFICANT MAN’. The film had a UK premiere at Sheffield Doc Fest on Friday 16th June.

The documentary synopsis is that The Prime Time Indian TV journalist, Ravish Kumar, is in trouble. Famous for his unflinching takedowns of the ruling establishment during his long-running primetime news hour, his nerves have begun to fray from carrying the torch of ‘good journalism’ for too long. In the public eye, Ravish has become a regular fixture, beaming from TV sets and widely shared phone videos. His primetime news bulletin has long been characterised by solid research, verified evidence, vignette-style notes from the field, and a sharp commentary with a touch of rustic sass. In the Indian media landscape, Kumar’s show is a far cry from the new industry standard of high-decibel, polarising, blustering TV news debates.

As press freedom further disintegrates and self-censorship becomes the new normal, Kumar struggles to stay afloat in the rising tide of his own network’s financial hardships, sinking TRP ratings, and the strain of continuous downsizing. The dangerously deteriorating standard of public discourse finds Ravish at the receiving end of harassment, intimidation, morphed images, threats to his life and even violence against his family.

With a growing target on his back, and the looming threat of his network’s imminent closure, Ravish transforms from a spunky troublemaker into a deeply troubled man, worried for himself, his family, and the soul of his nation.

Kumar, a Ramon Magsaysay Award winner, was a senior journalist at Indian news platform NDTV, who resigned after billionaire Gautam Adani took over the company. He has since set up his own YouTube Channel where he broadcasts and has already built a following of 6.22M subscribers.

Director Vinay Shukla says, “While We Watched is my love letter to journalism. It’s an urgent newsroom horror film – there is a story of hope hidden deep inside layers of personal loneliness”

Shukla is also credited as a producer on WHILE WE WATCHED alongside Khushboo Ranka and Luke W.Moody. Executive producers include Maxyne Franklin, Jess Search, Beadie Finzi & Vijay Vaidyanathan. 

Curator Thom Powers states that While We Watched is essential viewing for anyone interested in how television journalism is under threat. Although the film is rooted in India, its depiction of misinformation eroding fact-based news could apply to any number of countries.

At the centre of the film is veteran reporter Ravish Kumar of India’s NDTV who strives to uphold standards of independence and accountability. “Our job is to ask the most difficult questions to those in power,” he says. But every day, he faces a new set of challenges: budget cuts, staff departures, mysterious obstructions and even death threats. His station struggles to compete against the rising popularity of channels that replace news with zealots shouting down their opponents. 

Filmmaker Vinay Shukla tells this story at the fast-paced speed of breaking news. Early in the film, the accelerator is pressed to the floor and never lets up. One pleasure of the film is watching dogged correspondents at work riding the adrenaline rush of getting scoops. Against the odds of India’s increasingly grim news landscape, Kumar remains a beacon of hope in his professionalism and mentoring of younger reporters. Their perseverance amidst chaos is a wonder to behold.

Founded in October 2022, MetFilm Distribution is a boutique all rights distributor releasing a curated slate of films across the UK and Ireland. 
Recent titles include FASHION REIMAGINED, LOVING HIGHSMITH and A BUNCH OF AMATEURS.

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Sreenivasan Jain joins Jindal School of Journalism & Communication faculty

Award-winning journalist Sreenivasan Jain joins Jindal School of Journalism & Communication faculty

Sreenivasan Jain is the recipient of ‘Journalist of the Year’ by the Ramnath Goenka Awards in 2014, the Red Ink Awards in 2015, and Anchor of the Year at ENBA Awards, 2016…reports Asian Lite News

Sreenivasan Jain, the multiple award winning Indian investigative journalist and former Group Editor of NDTV, has joined India’s first global journalism school, Jindal School of Journalism and Communication (JSJC) of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) in Sonipat.

Announcing the appointment, JGU’s founding Vice Chancellor Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar said, “Sreenivasan Jain is an outstanding journalist in the best traditions of the practice and his experience will enrich JSJC and JGU in many ways. He has spoken truth to power during his career as a journalist and his joining our university as a faculty member will instil confidence among the students in pursuing a career in journalism and public affairs on the edifice of ethics and integrity.

“The students of JSJC have had a unique experience of studying at an exciting school with an innovative and interdisciplinary curriculum in cinema, journalism and communication that offers a wide range of national and international opportunities.”

Sreenivasan Jain is the recipient of ‘Journalist of the Year’ by the Ramnath Goenka Awards in 2014, the Red Ink Awards in 2015, and Anchor of the Year at ENBA Awards, 2016. Other awards include the World Media Summit Awards in Beijing, the World Silver Medal at the New York Festivals, the Hero Honda Indian Television Academy Awards, the Indian Telly Awards, the ENBA Awards, and the GQ Man of the Year (Media) in 2009. He was a recipient of the Eisenhower Fellowship in 2000.

In the world of the news media, investigative journalism is considered the highest calling. It comes closest to the core mission of the press in a democracy — of uncovering uncomfortable truths that hold power holders to account. JGU and JSJC is excited to welcome the award-winning broadcast journalist, Sreenivasan Jain who will provide a masterclass into the techniques and skills needed to produce top-notch investigative reportage, drawing from his three-decade long experience in reporting — and uncovering — some of the biggest stories of our time.

Expressing his excitement in taking up the faculty appointment at JSJC, Sreenivasan Jain said, “In my three decades in TV news and journalism, one of the most rewarding aspects of the experience was the opportunity to work with and train younger entrants into our newsroom. I look forward to extending that experience in this new innings as a faculty member at the Jindal School of Journalism & Communication of O.P. Jindal Global University.”

Professor Kishalay Bhattacharjee, Dean, JSJC, himself an award-winning former broadcast journalist, who has made several documentaries and reported widely from India’s conflict zones, said, “JSJC students will benefit immensely from Sreenivasan’s experience. Sreenivasan has been a colleague for decades and a comrade in reporting the underreported stories. We have often collaborated on investigative reports and it gives me immense joy in welcoming him to JSJC.

“We need more and more journalists and truth-tellers to help make sense of what is happening around us. We try to offer innovative, sustainable, market-driven training focusing on niche reporting and new media skills. Whether they report news or write a screenplay or manage communication, we encourage our students to always challenge the status quo and seek truth.”

In 2023, JSJC will have the first class of its third programme, Corporate Communication and Public Affairs. Already quite popular among prospective students, the course will allow JSJC to cover the entire spectrum of undergraduate communication education in India. It has a robust pedagogy, through consultation with leading industry professionals and academics. The school looks forward to delivering the best education to students as it grows from strength to strength.

JSJC launched its second undergraduate programme, Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Film & New Media in 2022. With state-of-the-art facilities, including the latest equipment, studios, and pedagogy, the course has become the most-desired destination for aspiring filmmakers around the country.

This year JSJC’s older programme, Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Journalism & Media Studies is graduating its 4th batch. Despite the challenges due to Covid-19, JSJC graduates secured jobs in leading media companies such as NDTV, Business Standard, Global Data, London, Indian Express, the Press Trust of India, and Al Jazeera.

While JSJC prides itself on producing working journalists through its skill-intensive, studio-based curriculum, many students have gone on to pursuing Masters’ degree programmes in universities such as the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Toronto Film School, Columbia University and King’s College, London. Frequently, journalism students go on to diverse areas of study such as human rights, law, policy, design and film.

JSJC students intern in leading production companies and OTT platforms, and they enter the industry as well-trained filmmakers and professionals. JSJC has a stellar faculty considered the best amongst journalism schools drawing from top journalists, editors, filmmakers and academicians who have more than 20 books, 10 films and 1000+ articles to their credit. It is home to global collaborative research in emerging technologies and hosts important calendar events in Delhi in the world of arts, cinema and communication.

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India News News World

Naidu urges media to maintain objectivity in bringing facts

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said that media should not mix news with views and maintain objectivity in bringing facts to the people…reports Asian Lite News



Naidu observed that people take the content of the news and broadcast media to be credible and media organisations should live up to their expectations. “Journalism should be treated as a mission,” the Vice President said.

Releasing a collection of editorials titled ‘Mutnuri Krishna Rao Sampadakeeyalu’ in Hyderabad, Naidu highlighted the critical role of media as the ‘fourth pillar of democracy’ in protecting and preserving democracy. “Media is the vital channel of communication that can take the issues of the people to the government and the schemes and policies of the government to the people,” he said.

Naidu stressed that the media has the right and responsibility to question and criticise the government and suggest alternative solutions. At the same time, he observed, media organisations should not rake up trivial issues and spread panic among the people.

Observing the tremendous impact the media has on people, the Vice President said that journalists should weigh the consequences on society of each word they print and broadcast. “They must remember that they are a part of society too”, he added.

Naidu lauded journalists for their resilience and courage during the pandemic and said they have shown great grit and resolve in bringing out reports from the ground.

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Naidu paid rich tributes to Shri Mutnuri Krishna Rao, the pioneering Telugu journalist and editor of the nationalist newspaper ‘Krishna Patrika’ from 1907 to 1945. He noted the lasting impact of both Shri Krishna Rao’s work and Krishna Patrika in inculcating patriotism in the Telugu youth and in setting high standards in journalism during that time.

The Vice President appreciated Sri Marumamula Dattatreya Sharma for bringing out the book and hoped that it would make the present generation aware of the high standards of journalistic values set by Shri Krishna Rao.

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-Top News Afghanistan Media

Afghanistan becoming a graveyard of journalists

Photo taken with mobile phone shows smoke rises near the blast site at an airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 26, 2021. (Str/Xinhua/IANS)

Nearly 200 people, including 13 US soldiers, were killed and hundreds others wounded in the suicide blast that hit an eastern airport gate…reports Asian Lite News

Two journalists, including a female TV anchor, were among the victims of a deadly explosion at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on August 26, an independent media group said on Sunday.

“Ali Reza Ahmadi, a reporter for Raha News Agency and Najma Sadeqi, former presenter at Jahan-e-Sihat TV channel were killed in the airport attack,” Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) said in a Twitter post.

Nearly 200 people, including 13 US soldiers, were killed and hundreds others wounded in the suicide blast that hit an eastern airport gate, when huge crowds were waiting for evacuation flights.

The victims have mostly been women and children and IS-K, a local affiliate of the Islamic State terror group, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Over 100 journalists have been killed in Afghanistan in the past two decades, making the Asian country one of the most dangerous countries for journalists.

Sunday’s development comes hours after US President Joe Biden said his military commanders informed him that another attack in Afghanistan is “highly likely in the next 24-36 hours”.

In retaliation for the deadly attack, the US military on August 27 launched a drone strike against the terror group in Nangarhar province, which killed two “high-profile” members and wounded another, according to the Pentagon.

In a new security alert issued early Sunday in Kabul, the US State Department advised all American citizens to immediately leave three of the Kabul airport’s gates and avoid travelling to the airport, citing a “specific, credible threat”

The Department, however did not reveal about the nature of the threat.

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India News Uttar Pradesh

Dinesh, the one man army of passionate journalism

Dinesh, owner and editor of ‘Vidya Darshan’ newspaper, does not own a printing press, does not employ any staff and does not even have a typewriter….reports Asian Lite News

In this digital age, a handwritten newspaper seems archaic but it is still relevant in one corner of Muzaffarnagar district.

Dinesh, owner and editor of ‘Vidya Darshan’ newspaper, does not own a printing press, does not employ any staff and does not even have a typewriter.

In art paper sheets, he writes out the news and makes sketches.

After writing the newspaper, her gets it photocopied and then goes to the various vantage points in the city and pastes his newspapers.

“I have been writing my own newspaper since the past 17 years. It takes me about three hours to write the news”, said Dinesh, who is in his late fifties.

A resident of Gandhi Nagar colony, he owns a worn-out bicycle and cannot even afford a change of clothes every day.

“People read my newspaper because I highlight local issues and incidents. Since I do not earn anything from the newspaper, I sell ice-cream in the evening for a living,” he said.

Happiness for Dinesh is when he sees people flocking around his newspaper to read it.

Journalism is a passion for Dinesh. “I do not earn a penny from journalism. I have never got any advertisement or government support but my work gives me immense satisfaction,” he said.

Moreover, Dinesh said that he freely expressed his opinion in his newspaper which compelled people to introspect.

“I rarely write on politics. I prefer to write on incidents that have a social relevance. Anyone who reads my newspaper, knows what exactly is happening in the district,” he said.

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