Addressing an audience of hundreds—some of whom had driven more than two hours to New York City for this event—the documentary filmmaker Vinay Shukla admitted that he’d felt lonely while making While We Watched, the film being screened in the US for the first time that day. In fact, he’d made that film to share this loneliness that many Indian idealists like him were feeling.

While We Watched follows the journalist Ravish Kumar, known for relentlessly calling out both misinformation peddled by fellow journalists and the Hindutva politics promoted by Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, between 2018 and 2022. During that time, Kumar braved verbal threats, disillusionment and understaffing at NDTV, the media company where he spent close to three decades of his career. Yet Kumar had refused to back down, steadfastly clinging to principles of editorial independence and integrity.

The film’s subject was also present at the screening. Kumar spoke fearlessly, in equal parts berating and inspiring the audience. As India goes through a period of democratic backsliding, people like Shukla and Kumar operate in an increasingly difficult environment. It makes their work more risky and dangerous, but also more urgent and crucial.

• Tags: India, Issue 35, Mili Semlani, Vinay Shukla