Bobby Deol’s latest film, Bandar has been creating a lot of buzz for it’s subject, which deals with the aftermath of levelling false harassment allegations against someone. A special screening for the same was held recently in Delhi.
Organised by the Ekam Nyaay Foundation, an NGO that helps men who are victims of false accusations, it was attended by real-life victims of false rape cases along with their families, social workers, advocates, bureaucrats, journalists and social media influencers.
Directed by Anurag Kashyap, Bandar explores how, from the moment an allegation is made, public perception and media narratives frequently presume guilt, effectively reversing the foundational principle of criminal jurisprudence “innocent until proven guilty.” The accused is often forced into a long and painful battle to prove his innocence while enduring social ostracisation, incarceration, and irreversible damage to his reputation and personal life.
Among those present were Capt. Rakesh Walia, a retired Captain of the Indian Army, falsely accused in a rape case by a woman. She has filed nine rape and molestation cases in Delhi. After years of legal struggle, he was declared innocent by the Supreme Court of India, after Ekam took his case to Supreme Court of India. Another guest was Dhiraj Gupta, who spent five months in jail after being falsely implicated in a rape case. He was subjected to an extortion demand of ₹50 lakh despite never having met the woman who accused him. The complainant and her accomplice are currently in custody on charges of extortion after Dhiraj filed an FIR on them. Krishan Sharma, an international boxing champion from Haryana, too attended the premiere. He was falsely accused in a POCSO case involving a minor boy. The case was orchestrated by his former wife following marital dispute.
The film received widespread appreciation from the viewers. Advocates described Bandar as a “need of the hour,” while many victims present at the event called it a startlingly accurate portrayal of the realities they had endured.
Present at the screening, Nikhil Dwivedi, producer of Bandar said, “This film is about justice and due process which is the hallmark of any civilized society. Many lives are caught in a whirlwind of an unjust system and a trial by media and society running a parallel court in the country. Rape is a heinous crime and rapists deserve harshest punishment but no man should be condemned for a crime he may not have actually committed. Bandar intends to initiate that conversation.”
Addressing the audience after the screening, Deepika Narayan Bharadwaj stated, “Today, there are countless cases where the lives of men are compromised due to false accusations, and that number is no longer so minuscule that these stories can be ignored. I am grateful to Team Bandar for choosing to make a film on this subject and for giving Ekam Nyaay Foundation the opportunity to host this screening. They wanted the first audience for this film to include people who could personally relate to the pain depicted on screen, people who have lived through these experiences.”