The Losing Side – Hindus of Pakistan
In rural Sindh, at least four million people belong to Hindu religion which is broadly accepted as a religious minority community. Due to historic rural-urban imbalance, religious discrimination and lack of streamlining into society, they are amongst the most marginalized communities. The Losing Side documents the accounts of four such women who have been victims of injustice. Alongside, various activists, politicians and legal experts involved in these stories further the conversation as to why such a practice continues to occur regularly. The documentary sheds light on all the legal, social and religious aspects of this.
Minority communities like Hindus and Christians in Sindh face the issues of religious conversions which are sometimes by choice, while some are forced, Mr Sharif said.
In many cases, he added, underage Hindu girls are kidnapped, forcefully converted to Islam and then married off to a Muslim man.
This is not the first recognition received by the movie. Earlier this year, the movie was nominated for an award at the Barcelona Human Rights Film Festival but fell short of winning it.
For Mr Sharif, these awards serve a bigger purpose than mere recognition. “I believe this award is more meaningful as it will give space to a sensitive issue in the mainstream media,” he said.
According to him, such festivals and events are important to present a “counter-narrative and narrative of resistance”.
Read also:
Pakistani Film On Forced Conversions Wins Award At Cannes – Analysis
By: P. K. Balachandran
P. K. Balachandran is a senior Indian journalist working in Sri Lanka for local and international media and has been writing on South Asian issues for the past 21 years.
