Anatomy of Violence explained

Anatomy of Violence is a Canadian drama film which premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.^[1] Directed by Toronto-based filmmaker Deepa Mehta,^[2] the film explores the root causes leading up to the 2012 Delhi gang rape incident.^{[3] [4]}

The film's script was created by a group of actors including Vansh Bhardwaj, Tia Bhatia, Janki Bisht and Seema Biswas, through improvisational exercises based on the relatively few snippets of known information about the perpetrators of the attack.^[5] Mehta chose to pursue a significant departure from her usual filmmaking style, in part because of the uncharacteristically poor reviews that greeted her previous film Beeba Boys.

Plot

In New Delhi in 2012, a group of six guys raped a young woman and beat her male friend up in a moving bus. On a fictitious reenactment of the perpetrators' life, eleven actors worked together.

Cast

• Vansh Bhardwaj
• Janki Bisht
• Mukti Ravi Das
• Ramanjit Kaur
• Jagjeet Sandhu
• Tia Bhatia
• Seema Biswas
• Suman Jha
• Mahesh Saini
• Zorawar Shukla

Awards

!Year!Award!Category!Result!Ref

2016	Toronto International Film Festival	First Premiere		[6]
2017	Human Rights Film Festival	Gender-based violence in India		[7]

Reception

• Mehta's documentary approach eventually catches up with actual broadcast material, but not enough to excuse the irresponsible use of point-and-shoot cameras that flattens the film's narrative and visual richness.^{[8] [9]}
• Formally and philosophically, Anatomy of Violence is the biggest gamble of Mehta's career since it foresees uncharted territory for cinema. Is it a docudrama, mockumentary, hybrid, or true crime film? All of these and none of them make up the anatomy of violence. It's Mehta-fiction, to be precise.^[10]

Notes and References

1. https://nowtoronto.com/movies/tiff-2016/anatomy-of-violence/ "Anatomy of Violence"
2. https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2016/11/25/anatomy-of-violence-studies-roots-of-indian-gang-rape-review.html "Anatomy of Violence studies roots of Indian gang rape: review"
3. http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/anatomy-of-violence-toronto-review/5109390.article?blocktitle=REVIEWS&contentID=40296 "'Anatomy of Violence': Toronto Review"
4. Web site: Roy . Sudipto . 2016-12-05 . Anatomy of Violence . 2022-10-24 . Media India Group . en.
5. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/awards-and-festivals/tiff/anatomy-of-violence-examines-the-men-involved-in-the-delhi-attack/article31773993/ "Anatomy of Violence examines the men involved in the Delhi attack"
6. Web site: McNeely . Michael . 2016-09-16 . TIFF 2016: Anatomy of Violence Review . 2022-10-24 . That Shelf . en-US.
7. Web site: ANATOMY OF VIOLENCE (2016) - Human Rights Film Festival - Donostia-San Sebastián . 2022-10-24 . www.zinemaetagizaeskubideak.eus.
8. Web site: Tobias . Scott . 2016-09-21 . Film Review: 'Anatomy of Violence' . 2022-10-24 . Variety . en-US.
9. Web site: 2016-09-13 . Breathedreamgo - Anatomy of Violence and the shocking truth . 2022-10-24 . breathedreamgo.com . en-US.
10. Web site: Mullen . Pat . 2016-09-15 . TIFF Review: 'Anatomy of Violence' . 2022-10-24 . POV Magazine . en-US.