Reason is an Indian documentary film in English and Hindi (Hindi title is Vivek) languages duration with 261 minutes directed by Anand Patwardhan. The film premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival and though never officially released in India, has been screened in private and on Youtube.
The Vivek (Reason) film is divided into eight chapters and running time is 4 hours 20 minutes. The documentary delves into some of the socio-political issues in contemporary India, from the killings of rationalists such as Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, and M M Kalburgi and attacks on activists to the influence of Hindutva organizations like Sanathan Sanstha and Abhinav Bharat. It takes a hard look at the rise of hyper-nationalism, the targeting of Muslims and Dalits under the guise of cow protection. The film also highlights the growing acceptance of radical Hindu ideologies in the mainstream and the crackdown on dissent, particularly in universities, as part of a broader push to reshape India into a Hindu state.
Neil Young of The Hollywood Reporter describes Reason (Vivek) as a powerful and in-depth documentary that examines right-wing extremism in India, focusing on political violence, caste oppression, and rising nationalism. Despite its lengthy runtime and detailed approach, he finds it engaging and considers it an important work in political documentary filmmaking.
The documentary, Reason has selected as the best documentary at the 31st International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. It also received the Audience Award at IFFLA, Los Angeles, in 2019.