Friend of the Court

Anil Divan Foundation
  • 5.0 (2)
  • DOCUMENTARY

S3 Episodes release every Wednesday Friend of the Court is back for a 3rd season. This time, the show moves out of the courtroom to tell the stories of 7 individuals and their unique role in shaping India's constitutional culture. Over 6 episodes, we look at the lives and contributions of Justice Fazl Ali, the lawyer KG Kannabiran, filmmakers Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and Raj Kapoor, women’s rights leader Hansa Mehta, artist Nandalal Bose and political thinker MN Roy. Some of these figures might be better known than others, each left an impact in their chosen field in their own way.

  1. 04/29/2025

    S03E06 - Hansa Mehta

    There were just a handful of women involved in writing a Constitution for a new India, and one of them was Hansa Mehta. Mehta was extraordinary in many ways; she was born into a progressive family that educated her, she faced social opprobrium by choosing to marry outside her caste, and she was among the few active Congress leaders. Mehta emerged as one of the key figures in the nascent women’s movement in India, and forged a career as a dynamic politician and later representative from India to the United Nations. Guests: Achyut Chetan, Mrinalini Sinha, Radha Vatsal Credits: Host: Supriya Nair (Supriya Nair is Head, Research and Media at Godrej DEI Lab) Executive Producer: Ramya Boddupalli Producer: Gaurav Vaz Scriptwriting and research: Bhavya Dore and Ramya Boddupalli Script editor: Sukhada Tatke Fact checking: Mallika Dandekar Audio and sound design: Saachi Rajadhyaksha Mastering: Ayan De Recording Studio: Stitch Audio, Mumbai Advisors: Gouri Divan, Lawrence Liang, Ranvir Singh, Shyam Divan and Vivek Divan advised the show. Special thanks to Alok Prasanna Kumar, Justice Gautam Patel, Jaydev Mehta, Kiran Mehta and Reetika Subramanian

    46 min

  2. 04/22/2025

    S03E05 - KG Kannabiran

    How do you deploy the principles of justice and fairness day in and day out? What does it mean to work the Constitution “insurgently”? Through his life and work the lawyer and civil rights activist KG Kannabiran showed us exactly how. Sometimes known as the “Naxalite lawyer”, with a reputation for representing poor and downtrodden prisoners, Kannabiran was tireless in his efforts towards preserving human rights and fighting state impunity. In this episode we explore how this lawyer from Andhra Pradesh was at the forefront of India’s civil liberties movement. Guests: Kalpana Kannabiran, D Nagasaila, Nikhileshwar, V Suresh Special thanks to Justice Gautam Patel, Arun Thiruvengadam, Alok Prasanna Kumar, Deepa Dhanraj and Reetika Subramanian Credits: Host: Raghu Karnad Executive Producer: Ramya Boddupalli Producer: Gaurav Vaz Scriptwriting and research: Bhavya Dore and Ramya Boddupalli Script editing: Sukhada Tatke Fact checking: Mallika Dandekar Audio and sound design: Saachi Rajadhyaksha Mastering: Ayan De Recording Studio: Stitch Audio, Mumbai Advisors: Gouri Divan, Lawrence Liang, Ranvir Singh, Shyam Divan and Vivek Divan

    50 min

  3. 04/16/2025

    S03E04 - Justice Saiyid Fazl Ali

    In 1950, the newly-formed Supreme Court had to decide on its first case concerning civil liberties. Should the government be allowed to preventively detain citizens, mostly political dissidents? In AK Gopalan vs State of Madras four out of five judges sided with the government. Only one judge differed. His name was Justice Saiyid Fazl Ali and he wrote the court’s first, and one of its most important dissents. What is the historic and legal value of a dissenting judgement, and how did this one come about? In this episode we delve into the life and work of Justice Fazl Ali and the afterlife of his AK Gopalan judgement. Guests: Abhinav Sekhri, Alok Prasanna Kumar and Seher Ali Credits: Host: Supriya Nair (Supriya Nair is Head, Research and Media at Godrej DEI Lab) Executive Producer: Ramya Boddupalli Producer: Gaurav Vaz Scriptwriting and research: Bhavya Dore and Ramya Boddupalli Fact checking: Mallika Dandekar Audio and sound design: Saachi Rajadhyaksha Mastering: Ayan De Recording Studio: Stitch Audio, Mumbai Special thanks to Justice Gautam Patel, Arun Thiruvengadam and Reetika Subramanian  Thank you to Sukhada Tatke for editing support Advisors: Gouri Divan, Lawrence Liang, Ranvir Singh, Shyam Divan and Vivek Divan advised the show.

    46 min

  4. 04/08/2025

    S03E03 - MN Roy

    Few political thinkers have had as varied and storied a career as the star of this episode: MN Roy. Did he contribute to the fundamental rights we enjoy today? How did he envision the constitution for a free India? And why did he switch from violent nationalism to communism to mainstream Congress politics? Wanted by the police, chased across continents, a charismatic speaker and thinker, Roy might be largely forgotten today, but here we explore his radical ideas and a vision for an India that never came to be. Guests: Aditya Nigam, Gautam Pemmaraju and Niraja Jayal Gopal Special thanks to Justice Gautam Patel, Arun Thiruvengadam, Reetika Subramanian and Prabhakar Kumar. Credits: Host: Raghu Karnad Executive Producer: Ramya Boddupalli Producer: Gaurav Vaz Scriptwriting and research: Bhavya Dore and Ramya Boddupalli Fact checking: Mallika Dandekar Audio and sound design: Saachi Rajadhyaksha Mastering: Ayan De Recording Studio: at Stitch Audio, Mumbai Thank you to Sukhada Tatke for editing support Advisors: Gouri Divan, Lawrence Liang, Ranvir Singh, Shyam Divan and Vivek Divan

    47 min

  5. 04/01/2025

    S03E02 - KA Abbas and Raj Kapoor

    How did filmmakers participate in the nation building project in the early years of independence? What role did films play in popularising our constitutional ideals? Tune in as host Supriya Nair takes you through the life and work of writer KA Abbas and actor-director Raj Kapoor. This episode explores the socio-political commentary in their films and how they touched upon some of the most urgent questions of the time while entertaining audiences. * This episode is based on Lawrence Liang’s chapter on Awara and the constitution from his forthcoming book “Objection m’lord: law and justice in Indian popular cinema”* Guests: Iffat Fatima, Lawrence Liang, Nasreen Munni Kabir and Syeda Hameed. Credits: Host: Supriya Nair (Supriya Nair is Head, Research and Media as Godrej DEI Lab) Executive Producer: Ramya Boddupalli Producer: Gaurav Vaz Scriptwriting and research: Bhavya Dore and Ramya Boddupalli Fact checking: Mallika Dandekar Audio and sound design: Saachi Rajadhyaksha Mastering: Ayan De Recording Studio: at Stitch Audio, Mumbai Thank you to Sukhada Tatke for editing support Advisors: Gouri Divan, Lawrence Liang, Ranvir Singh, Shyam Divan and Vivek Divan advised the show. Special thanks to Ashish Rajadhyaksha, Justice Gautam Patel, Reetika Subramanian, Sugandha Yadav and Vasuman Khandelwal.

    48 min

  6. 03/26/2025

    S03E01 - Nandalal Bose

    The Indian constitution is one of the few, if only, illustrated constitutions in the world. Twenty two panels open each of the chapters, featuring characters and scenes from Indian history and myth. Who was the person who spearheaded the project of bringing our constitution to life visually? Nandalal Bose, a pioneer of modernism in Indian art, and the favoured artist of both Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi. In this episode we explore how the Constitution came to be illustrated, why certain images were chosen and the life and work of the man in charge of it.  Guests: Prof. Siva Kumar, Prof. Naman Ahuja Special thanks to Justice Gautam Patel, Arun Thiruvengadam, Reetika Subramanian, Sugandha Yadav and Vasuman Khandelwal. Credits:  Host: Raghu Karnad Executive Producer: Ramya Boddupalli Producer: Gaurav Vaz Scriptwriting and research: Bhavya Dore and Ramya Boddupalli  Fact checking: Mallika Dandekar   Music direction and sound design: Saachi Rajadhyaksha Recording Engineer and Mastering: Ayan De Recorded at: Stitch Audio, Mumbai  Thank you to Sukhada Tatke for editing support Advisors: Gouri Divan, Lawrence Liang, Ranvir Singh, Shyam Divan and Vivek Divan. Corrections and Clarifications: 1. This episode states that a thousand copies of the Constitution were printed after the decoration was completed in 1950. While it is true that the copies were printed, Nandalal Bose continued to work on the art work for another 4 years [see: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/constitution-1st-edition-auctioned-for-record-rs-48-lakh/articleshow/112151201.cms]

    49 min

  7. SEASON 3 TRAILER

    S03E00 - Prologue - Constitutional Lives

    Hosts Raghu Karnad and Supriya Nair give us a sneak peek into season 3. They introduce the people who inspired this season and discuss the idea of constitutional culture and how it is shaped. Episodes start rolling out on 26 March 2025.

    3 min

  8. 09/25/2024

    S02E08 - Friend of the Court Season 2: Making of

    The team behind Friend of the Court sits down for a chat with writer and editor Vikram Shah. They talk about what went into the making of the show, including the research, writing and sound design. Featuring writers Ramya Boddupalli and Bhavya Dore, producer Gaurav Vaz and advisor Lawrence Liang

    44 min
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Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
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About

S3 Episodes release every Wednesday Friend of the Court is back for a 3rd season. This time, the show moves out of the courtroom to tell the stories of 7 individuals and their unique role in shaping India's constitutional culture. Over 6 episodes, we look at the lives and contributions of Justice Fazl Ali, the lawyer KG Kannabiran, filmmakers Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and Raj Kapoor, women’s rights leader Hansa Mehta, artist Nandalal Bose and political thinker MN Roy. Some of these figures might be better known than others, each left an impact in their chosen field in their own way.

Information

  • Creator
    Anil Divan Foundation
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Anil Divan Foundation
  • Show Website
    Friend of the Court