India’s Daughter: Leslee Udwin on Courage, Outrage, and Change

On this powerful episode of Center Stage, I speak with filmmaker and human rights activist Leslee Udwin about her searing documentary India’s Daughter. The film tells the harrowing story of the 2012 gang rape and murder of Jyoti Singh, a 23-year-old medical student in Delhi—a crime so brutal it ignited global outrage and sparked a nationwide movement for justice in India. Through interviews with Jyoti’s family, lawyers, and even the convicted perpetrators, India’s Daughter exposes not only the horror of the act but the deep-rooted cultural attitudes toward women that allowed it to happen. In our conversation, Leslee shares what compelled her to tell this story, the challenges of confronting such painful truths, and why the fight for gender equality remains urgent and global. This is not just a documentary—it’s a call to action.