Film Details
- Title: While We Watched
- Year of Release: 2022 (World premiere on September 11, 2022, at TIFF)
- Running Time: 1 hour 34 minutes
- Director: Vinay Shukla
- Genre: Documentary, Politics, Drama
- Subject: Broadcast journalist Ravish Kumar, chronicling his working days amidst a spiraling world of truth and disinformation in Indian media
- Key Accolades: Amplify Voices award at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Cinephile award at the 27th Busan International Film Festival, and 2023 Peabody Award Winner
While We Watched, directed by Vinay Shukla, is a quiet yet deeply unsettling documentary that observes the life and work of Ravish Kumar during a time when Indian journalism was undergoing a visible and uncomfortable shift.
Without resorting to sensationalism, the film patiently captures a changing media landscape, one where questioning power begins to feel like an act of resistance rather than responsibility. As political narratives evolve after the rise of Narendra Modi, the documentary shows how mainstream discourse starts drifting toward labels, noise, and division, leaving little room for nuance or dissent.
At its core, the film is not just about journalism, but about the emotional cost of staying honest in a system that increasingly discourages it. Ravish Kumar is portrayed not as a heroic figure, but as a human being navigating pressure, isolation, and constant scrutiny. The camera lingers on small, intimate moments, his interactions with colleagues, the atmosphere within the newsroom, and the quiet tension that follows him even into his personal life.
One of the documentary’s strongest aspects is how it captures the loneliness of integrity. As colleagues move on—a departure often marked by “cake cuttings” that became a leitmotif of the film—and the newsroom slowly changes, there’s a subtle sense of loss that builds over time. Even everyday rituals begin to feel heavier, almost symbolic of something slipping away. The film also highlights the threats of violence against the news team and the financial troubles plaguing media houses seen as critics of the ruling party.
What makes the film particularly powerful is its restraint. It doesn’t tell you what to think, it simply shows. The result is an experience that feels raw and unfiltered. Moments of fear, fatigue, and quiet resilience coexist with rare glimpses of warmth and hope, making those lighter moments feel even more profound.
There is also an underlying tension throughout, a sense that the personal and professional lines are constantly blurring. The film highlights how public roles can spill into private lives, affecting not just individuals, but their families as well.
By the end, While We Watched leaves you with more questions than answers. It reflects on what journalism means today, what it costs to uphold it, and whether standing your ground still matters in a rapidly shifting world.
One line from the film stays with you long after it ends:
“Not all battles are fought for victory. Some are fought simply to tell the world that someone was there on the battlefield.”
Vinay Shukla’s direction is precise and empathetic, allowing the story to unfold naturally without forcing conclusions. The documentary doesn’t try to be loud, but its silence speaks volumes.
This is not an easy watch, but it is an important one.
– Aman Attar
