Rakesh Sharma (in pink) during the filming of Malegaon

RAKESH Sharma is no stranger to censorship. His 2004 documentary, Final Solution, on the Gujarat riots was initially denied certification by the censor board, and the Mumbai International Film Festival 2004 refused to screen it. Soon after, the film went on to win two awards at the Berlin International Film Festival, and that’s when it began to make ripples back home. Final Solution won the President’s Indian National Film Award that year.

Sharma will be discussing his craft, its challenges, and his upcoming documentaries at a talk today. Excerpts from an interview: