The Quint forays into documentary film making - 'THE WILD WEST OF UTTAR PRADESH'

In India today, even as the daily news plays out, there are deeper undercurrents at play, uncomfortable truths to confront, important stories of our times that need to be told.

The Quint has now made its first foray into the space of documentary film-making with ’THE WILD WEST OF UTTAR PRADESH – Rise of Radical Hindu Vigilante Groups’
Through their documentaries which are shot in ‘guerrilla style’ - compact two-member teams, with minimal shooting gear and often with just a smartphone, The Quint aim to unearth news that is ‘underground’.

The Quint’s CEO Ritu Kapur said, “The QuintDocu will have a raw, gritty, provocative feel. It will be up-close, intimate, honest and un-filtered. Our documentaries will have energy, pace; we pack in a lot in a short time. We believe we are addressing an audience that is well-informed and knows how to ‘join the dots’. We will also publish related opinion pieces written by The Quint’s top-notch contributors; all this to give our audience a real 360 degree view of the subject.”

These documentaries are focused for an audience that accesses news and information mainly on the mobile phone. The documentary will be produced in stand-alone 2-4 minute segments which will be posted independently on The Quint. Alongside, the complete documentary will also be uploaded. To further enrich the audience experience, The Quint will also post ‘raw interviews’, key documents, maps, info-graphics, photo-essays, detailed information about the protagonists and phenomenon and issues that are taken up in the documentaries. The Quint’s documentaries will also feature on the festival circuit as well.

’THE WILD WEST OF UTTAR PRADESH – Rise of Radical Hindu Vigilante Groups’

India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, has a history of communal violence. Bordering New Delhi, the western region of Uttar Pradesh has a significant Muslim and Hindu Jat population and, thus, is particularly vulnerable. In recent times, this region is witnessing a growing number of self-appointed radical Hindu vigilante groups. Driven by a deep sense of Islamophobia, these groups believe it is their moral responsibility to ‘protect' the Hindu religion from the ‘onslaught of militant Islam’. The recent threat by the Islamic State (ISIS) to take over India by 2020 has provoked these fringe groups to intensify recruitment and military training.

The Quint travels to the interiors of Western Uttar Pradesh to meet members of these groups, their sympathisers and young Hindu recruits who are being trained and indoctrinated in this emerging brand of religious extremism. We sought to understand their psyche, question their inspiration and document their modus operandi.
Links to the You Tube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lybLBNv0iQ&list=PLkwj3jpG3Xo3XIhNVIjGj7pdauVLXuZSS