Drawing a Line
India is the world's largest democracy, but since Hindu-nationalist Narendra Modi and his government run the country, fundamental democratic rights have gone downhill. The country's Muslims are treated as second-class citizens, freedom of speech increasingly eroded.
Who has to deal with this on a daily basis is Rachita Taneja, a young cartoonist who comments on the political and social state of affairs in contemporary India in her deceptively simple drawings. She does so in her cartoon series Sanitary Panels in a razor-sharp manner, but with humour and honesty. Taneja has many fans among young, liberal Indians; however, official bodies are trying to silence her. India's Supreme Court is about to convict her for 'contempt of court'.
How is she holding her own? In this documentary, director Sama Pana provides the answer; she shows who Rachita Taneja is, and explores, partly animated, her inner world and creative process.
