“The Price Of Providence”, an hour-long film directed by Merajur Rahman Baruah hits the viewer hard. Why? Because it highlights how the universal age-old axiom — that no innocent person should ever be punished even if several guilty are set free —continues to be flouted irrespective of the time, place and era. The film revolves around Dwayne Providence who was sentenced wrongly — because of Detroit’s (Michigan, US) corruption and incompetence — for 32 years on the charges of killing Rene Hunter. He didn’t commit the crime as proved by the facts and witnesses’ statements which did not substantiate the charge. The protagonist in the film was able to become free, clear his name and expose the lies, after spending more than nine years in prison, with the help of Michigan Innocence Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School.
The project happened by chance for Baruah. During the course of interviewing Imran Syed for a film on Indian immigrants in US, the former informed him about Dwayne’s case and enquired if Baruah would be interested in making a film. Finding the real life story fascinating, he immediately agreed. On meeting Dwayne he had no reason to doubt his decision. “He is full of life, devoid of bitterness or malice. While in jail he studied, took up physical training and helped other prisoners too. I liked the way he carried himself,” reveals the director. The film has been scripted by Imran.
Even though the case pertains to US, Baruah was struck by the similarities found in India. . “Here too there are innumerable cases of innocents undergoing jail sentence. Even though the locale and characters in the film may be alien to Indian audience, the context is bound strike a chord. In fact as most Indians look up to US in all matters, it will definitely impress them,” he explains.
The director is keen to exhibit the film in India, especially the law departments in various Indian universities. “I want to draw audiences’ attention to the fact that nepotism, corruption and miscarriage of justice is not confined to India but is found in a developed country like US too. More importantly I intend to impress upon them the necessity to have institutions like Innocence Clinics found in many US universities or similar other mechanism to ensure that this kind of injustice does not take place. I hope the film will lead to a discussion on this.”
It is heartening to see that Dwayne’s family support him right through the ordeal. “They are very close knit and it was because of them that he survived this tribulation,” says the director. Vonzella Battle, Dwayne’s mother remarks in the film that her son’s arrest tore the family apart leaving each of them to deal with it in their own way and asserts she was convinced of his innocence. His sisters echo the sentiment.
It is pertinent to note that Dwayne has been twice wronged because he failed to get compensation he sought from Detroit city since the latter, due to economic conditions, had to declare itself bankrupt. But his outlook and perspective has not undergone a change even though he comments that during his imprisonment he lost his grandmother, aunt and two uncles and missed on bonding with his children –– a time that will never come back. Vonzella who hits the hammer on the nail when she says that what hurt more than the lack of compensation was the failure on the part of the authorities to apologise for the mistake.
(The film will be screened at India International Centre on June 20, 6.30 p.m.)
