Caste on the Menu Card

Caste on the Menu Card is a 21-minute documentary film made by students of the School of Media and Cultural Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), focuses on beef-eating practices in Mumbai. It portrays the prevalence of caste differentiation in food choices of people in Mumbai, how it causes exclusion, and touches upon concerns related to livelihood, social inclusion and human rights.^[1]

Controversies

It was the only film out of 35 others, which failed to get an exemption permission for a screening at 12th Jeevika Asia Livelihood Documentary Festival, which is organised by Centre for Civil Society.^[2]

After it failed to get exemption permission the makers of the film decided to screen it independently at the Jawaharlal Nehru University and for that Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students' Association (BAPSA) of JNU got permission from the hostel warden but just before the film was to be screened the officials revoked the permission.^{[3] [4]} BAPSA JNU alleged that the administration had given permission for the screening at 9.30 PM on the lawns of the campus's Sabarmati Hostel followed by a discussion, the nod was revoked few hours before the screening. BAPSA alleged that the warden had acted under political pressure from outside.^[5]

The film was however screened defying the orders of the authority at the Jawaharlal Nehru University.^[6]

It was declared that the documentary would be screened by the organisers at the fourth edition of Nainital Film Festival.^[7]

Production

Students of School of Media and Cultural Studies Anurup Khillare, Atul Anand, Vaseem Chaudhary, Reetika Revathy Subramanian and Ananyaa Gaur are the directors of the film. ^[8]

References