New Delhi: The Capital will witness the screening of the award-winning documentary, ‘The Crusader’ at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, 15 Janpath on 26th July, 2018 at 1830 Hrs. The biopic is based on the life and career struggles of the popular Dalit leader Dr. Udit Raj who is also the Hon’ble Member of Parliament and National Chairman of The All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations. The thrust of the documentary is on the trials and tribulations faced by Dr. Udit Raj and how he came out triumphantly.
Under the guidance and support provided by the renowned director and producer Mr. Ajay Chitnis, ‘The Crusader’ was bestowed upon with the Hon’ble Jury Mention Award in the 7th Bangalore Shorts Film Festival – 2018. The film explores the issues of village feudal system and the discrimination meted out to the backward classes of the society right from the education system to the workplaces. It adequately questions the societal dogmas and motivates the people to stand strong against any injustice inflicted on them as courageously done by Dr. Udit Raj.
Despite being from a family that struggled at every front and lived between meager subsistence and sufferings, Dr. Udit Raj couldn’t be stopped from tasting success in professional front of life and working for the welfare of the nation as a whole. His journey from a small village, Ram Nagar to Allahabad which eventually culminated into JNU was that of intrigue, anguish and fascination. Later it was followed by becoming an IRS officer, working as an Income Tax Commissioner and finally stepping into the social arena to get justice for the neglected communities and Dalits.
Mr Ajay Chitnis, an industrious and modest man by nature, is the MD of Tapasya Productions and renowned in filmmaking. In the past few years Mr Chitnis has been at the forefront of film making with more than 70 documentaries on various subjects. Talking about the Documentary he says, “The Crusader deals with the real-life experiences of Dr. Udit Raj—how Dalits are mistreated, discriminated, and denied every basic amenity essential for survival, not to talk about the respectful living. I believe Dr. Udit Raj can be an inspiration for many caste-ridden people in India. His journey from a small village to the Parliament of India is truly fascinating and commendable. I want his story to be listened to by Dalits as well as people belonging to every religion, caste, and class. This is the high time for all of us to debunk the myths that are breeding discrimination and injustice in society. And, The Crusader is one such initiative.”
Dr. Udit Raj says, “The dark and grim history of Dalits in our Indian society is very much ancient than the British Civilization in India. Yet, we are not able to break free from the stigma attached to Dalits. With this biopic, I feel people will get a much-needed insight into the lives of downtrodden Dalits. They will better be able to see how deep-rooted the culture of caste discrimination in our minds and society is, thanks to Ajay Chitnis. I hope the youngsters would empathize with the real-life story of mine and many other people living in the periphery of the society and be propelled to stand against the social injustice.”
