I really enjoyed watching the documentary. The movie shows different lives of Indian people and many sided from Indian society. Its beautiful to follow the thoughts of the young students and its inspiring how one person can create such a meaningful project. I really hope this will go on for a century and i wish them the best of luck.
13 Reviews
Inspiring and powerful film!
hannahbh10 September 2017
A beautifully well-done film depicting the lives of 5 girls growing up at Shanti Bhavan Children's Project. A touchingly sweet and sometimes heartbreaking film, Daughters of Destiny breaks down barriers for women and girls around the world and will empower viewers to champion these causes. Definitely a must-see for anyone passionate about education, children, girl's rights, and equal opportunity!
Fantastic program, best on television in recent memory
carriecrockett-8742426 September 2017
This series took me completely by surprise. I stumbled across it by chance and it truly changed my life. So refreshing--upon a mostly superficial entertainment landscape comes this flash of genius.
Watch this show if you want any of the following: 1) to be inspired by individuals who have thoughtfully and intentionally set most of their lives aside to change the future of India; 2) be humbled by (and reminded of) the plight of those who are categorized as untouchables in India; or 3) be extremely impressed by the insightful writers of this show who have put a lot of skill and thought into how to best present their amazing subject matter to the Western world.
Thank you to all who were involved in the making of this remarkable series. I have recommended this show to all my friends and some of us are now watching it for our "book group," (yes, instead of reading a book . . . it's that good.)
Watch this show if you want any of the following: 1) to be inspired by individuals who have thoughtfully and intentionally set most of their lives aside to change the future of India; 2) be humbled by (and reminded of) the plight of those who are categorized as untouchables in India; or 3) be extremely impressed by the insightful writers of this show who have put a lot of skill and thought into how to best present their amazing subject matter to the Western world.
Thank you to all who were involved in the making of this remarkable series. I have recommended this show to all my friends and some of us are now watching it for our "book group," (yes, instead of reading a book . . . it's that good.)
Soul Enrichment
madhukar303 July 2020
An awesome documentary that gives us an opportunity to correct they why we think. Once we see the lives of the children and backgrounds that they come most of us will feel that we have "Privileged" lives and what are we complaining about? A great effort to showcase not only the lives of some underprivileged children but also the NGO that runs Shanti Bhavan.
No amount of appreciation is more for the NGO that runs Shanti Bhavan & the teachers there. They are the real superheroes in real life, who are really making a difference in our society. I feel we as a society should give them the credit they deserve and contribute to the development of the underprivileged. They making is really good and most of narratives are presented by the people involved. It was a real soul enriching journey for me watching these 4 episodes.
Education does not define casteism...
samabc-3195216 October 2020
A documentary based on a true story that follows 5 Daughters of Destiny - from so-called Dalit caste and their struggles and passions for education..the story develops at shanti Bhavan founded by an NRI Mr Abraham.. beautifully shot with 'fly on the wall' camera ..
It does a splendid job of conveying a sense of both place and dichotomy of place.. Reminds me of my experience at 'footpath Shala' at Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India...
Awesome documentary, inspiring story.
g_belekar12 September 2019
Amazing, inspiring and selfless work done by Abraham George, his family and Shanti Bhavan volunteers. The documentary is very interesting and shot very well. The english of the kids is so good and they are so positive and very matured thinking, hats off to the teachers who have been imbibing these qualities in them 🙏🙏. The kids are so cute and so responsible.
Thanks to Abraham and all the contributors of this wonderful school for poor families, may God bless them and all the kids abundantly with happiness, good health and success 🙏🙏🙏 Thanks to Netflix too 🙏🙏
Thanks to Abraham and all the contributors of this wonderful school for poor families, may God bless them and all the kids abundantly with happiness, good health and success 🙏🙏🙏 Thanks to Netflix too 🙏🙏
The best documentary film I've watched
GaneshM094 June 2020
The documentary spanning over 7 years, makes the change Dr Abraham and Shanti Bhavan created extremely tangible and obvious. But even before the stars got their jobs in the documentary, I was awestruck by their eloquence in speaking English and their extremely sharp minds.
The stories of these girls are so genuine and inspiring. The documentary constantly paints the contrasting lives they live in Shanti Bhavan and back at their homes. The challenges they had overcome and the burden they carry of freeing their families were really moving.
I'm not going to reveal too much. I want you to feel the way I did, and its pure magic!
The stories of these girls are so genuine and inspiring. The documentary constantly paints the contrasting lives they live in Shanti Bhavan and back at their homes. The challenges they had overcome and the burden they carry of freeing their families were really moving.
I'm not going to reveal too much. I want you to feel the way I did, and its pure magic!
Very well done.
thegreatgiri26 April 2018
I gave this such a high rating as I really want people to watch it. It is brilliantly made, never over the top or 'in your face', just beautifully put together. I love that it was made over many years, and I can imagine how difficult it must have been to get it right, with so much material.
The story will stir up all your emotions over the episodes and whatever state it leaves you, you will know that you have watched something pure and beautiful.
The story will stir up all your emotions over the episodes and whatever state it leaves you, you will know that you have watched something pure and beautiful.
My eyes welled up
srinat-127 June 2021
Education is an important tool for any country to lift her people out of proverty but what Dr. George is what doing can be compared to likes of Mother Theresa. So unselfish in his approach and vision to lift people out of proverty, inequality, and patriarchal society system totally commendable. I am an atheist, I don't believe in miracle or blessing, but what Shanti Bhavan to our society is beyond definition of God stature.
Talking about the mini-series, story of Shanti Bhavan told thru life of Dr. George, his teachers and children. As I navigate through episode, my eyes welled up and throat crackle. Wish continuing success to Shanti Bhavan.
Talking about the mini-series, story of Shanti Bhavan told thru life of Dr. George, his teachers and children. As I navigate through episode, my eyes welled up and throat crackle. Wish continuing success to Shanti Bhavan.
Amazing documentary about amazing people
aslivelieceoglu12 January 2021
This documentary is amazing. It is about a successful businessman who launched on a journey to give up his career and use all of his earnings to follow his dream of establishing a 'dream school' where only the poorest of the poorest families get a chance to send one of their children to receive a very quality education so they could then study, earn a living and get a change to give back to their own communities and hence break the cycle of 'being stuck with fate' in India.
It is extremely moving to see the motivation of the founders, teachers and the opportunities it provides for the children. There are things that make you think about and wonder the psychological effects on children of being separated from families at a young age and the pressure on children and young adults of high expectations of success but the initial idea and dream is wonderful, so-obviously worth pursuing and clearly implemented with full good intentions that I hope it lasts through generations and does not die out or lose its steer.
It is true that nothing and nobody is perfect and neither is Shanti Bhavan, nor the founders. There may be stories we did not hear of - perhaps of children who had to drop out of the school and perhaps doomed into a psychological decay - we do not know any of that. So my only criticism would be that the documentary could have been a bit more objective giving short reflections of other children but overall truly an amazing documentary about amazing people with amazing goals. Highly recommend everyone to watch this.
It is extremely moving to see the motivation of the founders, teachers and the opportunities it provides for the children. There are things that make you think about and wonder the psychological effects on children of being separated from families at a young age and the pressure on children and young adults of high expectations of success but the initial idea and dream is wonderful, so-obviously worth pursuing and clearly implemented with full good intentions that I hope it lasts through generations and does not die out or lose its steer.
It is true that nothing and nobody is perfect and neither is Shanti Bhavan, nor the founders. There may be stories we did not hear of - perhaps of children who had to drop out of the school and perhaps doomed into a psychological decay - we do not know any of that. So my only criticism would be that the documentary could have been a bit more objective giving short reflections of other children but overall truly an amazing documentary about amazing people with amazing goals. Highly recommend everyone to watch this.
Morose and Angst-ridden
sopan-muller-16 March 2021
DAUGHTERS OF DESTINY
4 Part Documentary Series
Shot over 7 years
Streaming on Netflix.
When a film, in this case a documentary series, which should have been a positive and feel good experience for the viewer, leaves you not exactly sad, but certainly with an overwhelming sense of poignant melancholia, how do you explain that? All the intensions of the people involved are good, and in the end things works out well too... but listening to the four students speak of their lives, in a tone lacking exuberance, a pall of gloom seems to fall over the entire film. This despite them having finally achieved much and are ready to take on the world.
Has the creator of the series, DAUGHTERS OF DESTINY, Vanessa Roth, failed? It is unfortunate, because it is in the hands of the director to extract the information in whichever tone she wishes. It is for her to alternate between light-heated episodes, which am sure there were many, along with the grim stories of existential anxieties in their lives.
The series is the story of SHANTI BHAVAN, a boarding school set up near Bengaluru, by an NRI, which offers education to the underprivileged sections of society. The way they operate is very novel and if I might add, experimental. The policy of the establishment is to pick only one child, from about 20 impoverished families each year, at the age of 4, and educate them through school, college and sometimes postgraduation, till the point s/he starts working. It is instilled into the children, all the while, that once they are done with their education, their main aim in life is to give back to society, starting with educating their siblings, lifting their own families out of poverty, and finally their communities.
The story of the institution is told through the eyes of four students - all exceptionally articulate, with remarkable clarity of thought.
The children experience a sense of achievement and also disappointment. I won't go into the exact nature of their experiences, but leave it for the viewer to find out. What makes it worse, is that the management itself, goes through periods of financial instability, putting the lives of the students into uncertainty.
I do wish that the series had given as much time and footage to the good times the children and management have on their journey, rather than make it entirely morose and angst-ridden.
When a film, in this case a documentary series, which should have been a positive and feel good experience for the viewer, leaves you not exactly sad, but certainly with an overwhelming sense of poignant melancholia, how do you explain that? All the intensions of the people involved are good, and in the end things works out well too... but listening to the four students speak of their lives, in a tone lacking exuberance, a pall of gloom seems to fall over the entire film. This despite them having finally achieved much and are ready to take on the world.
Has the creator of the series, DAUGHTERS OF DESTINY, Vanessa Roth, failed? It is unfortunate, because it is in the hands of the director to extract the information in whichever tone she wishes. It is for her to alternate between light-heated episodes, which am sure there were many, along with the grim stories of existential anxieties in their lives.
The series is the story of SHANTI BHAVAN, a boarding school set up near Bengaluru, by an NRI, which offers education to the underprivileged sections of society. The way they operate is very novel and if I might add, experimental. The policy of the establishment is to pick only one child, from about 20 impoverished families each year, at the age of 4, and educate them through school, college and sometimes postgraduation, till the point s/he starts working. It is instilled into the children, all the while, that once they are done with their education, their main aim in life is to give back to society, starting with educating their siblings, lifting their own families out of poverty, and finally their communities.
The story of the institution is told through the eyes of four students - all exceptionally articulate, with remarkable clarity of thought.
The children experience a sense of achievement and also disappointment. I won't go into the exact nature of their experiences, but leave it for the viewer to find out. What makes it worse, is that the management itself, goes through periods of financial instability, putting the lives of the students into uncertainty.
I do wish that the series had given as much time and footage to the good times the children and management have on their journey, rather than make it entirely morose and angst-ridden.
A well crafted documentary series but undeniably a cheap attempt to spread Christianity which could leave you sore :(
bharath-karthikeyan30 September 2018
The 5 stars is for how the documentary was made. I give it a 5/5. It is honest, down to the bones, extremely detailed and as a viewer was happy to see people helping their kind. It is definitely a positive documentary to follow, no doubt about it. The children have been very co-operative to the documentary makers and I hope they made it well to support their family and Shanti Bhavan.
Now here is the downside, I am not against Christianity or any religion for that matter. But what I don't believe in is inclining to one religion can offer them better redemption which is what this movie tries to tell you subtly. The primary students chosen for the film all are Christians (there are scenes of worship) and they are ultimately coached and sent to Christian institutions(Could also be because the institution offers scholarship because they are Christians, So not going to judge here).
My problem is I appreciate good documentaries and it pisses me off when platforms like these are used to spread religion. If they do want to attract donors who are Christians then the filmmakers could have openly added it on the disclaimer instead of saying that this documentary does not side with any religion, which is just on contrary.
The bottomline is Shanti Bhavan - 10, Christianity advert - 0.
Now here is the downside, I am not against Christianity or any religion for that matter. But what I don't believe in is inclining to one religion can offer them better redemption which is what this movie tries to tell you subtly. The primary students chosen for the film all are Christians (there are scenes of worship) and they are ultimately coached and sent to Christian institutions(Could also be because the institution offers scholarship because they are Christians, So not going to judge here).
My problem is I appreciate good documentaries and it pisses me off when platforms like these are used to spread religion. If they do want to attract donors who are Christians then the filmmakers could have openly added it on the disclaimer instead of saying that this documentary does not side with any religion, which is just on contrary.
The bottomline is Shanti Bhavan - 10, Christianity advert - 0.
I would give this 0 out of 10 stars if I could
verchoon22 March 2024
The Netflix series "Daughters of Destiny" deserves the lowest rating because it's a misuse of an education platform and yet another disrespectful example of conversion tactics. I don't know where they got their definition of "caste system" from but it's seriously misleading and also harmful to Hinduism. This is a decidedly anti-Hindu film which typically portrays Christians as "saviors" and makes Hinduism out to be "the bad guy" even though Hinduism has nothing to do with "caste system". In fact, the word "caste" does not exist in any sacred Hindu text and is not part of Hindi or Sanskrit language. What we recognize are "Varna" and "Jaati" which sees everyone as level players, equally valuable in the field of life. It is very hypocritical to see caste system attributed to Hindus when it is so prominent among white aristocracy, who rank people in order of importance. These invaders to India also perpetuated racial discrimination previously unheard of in Indian colonies. Naturally they saw their fair skin as superior. But how could an indigenous people who worship dark-hued Forms of God and who are often dark-hued themselves consider those with darker complexions to be inferior? No, this was unheard of before colonisation. But it has become tagged on to Hindus to this day and remains an issue because corrupt people still practice it. However, we must remember, it has nothing to do with Hinduism: This so-called "documentary" centres around the so-called magnanimity of the misleadingly-titled "Shanti Bhavan" school in south India founded by an Indian expat named Abraham George (go figure) with an underhanded aim of converting vulnerable groups to Christianity, though this motive is denied and underplayed throughout the series. Misinformation is spread about Hinduism and caste system is attributed to Hindus to create Hindumisia. Makers of this so-called "documentary" are self-serving in their aim to show down the Hindu religion as inferior to their foreign one. The filmmakers neglect the fact that caste system was introduced by the Portuguese as "casta" in 1500s and is NOT legally recognized by India's constitution. They also neglect the glaring fact that the PM of India Modi Himself as well as the President Herself come from so-called "Dalit" class, therefore there is no restriction on upward social movement among these groups. It is only human prejuduce and white lies (pun intended) that perpetuates caste system. I repeat, it has nothing to do with Hinduism and Shanti Bhavan school, far from being innocuous, remains an example of a deceptive missionary school funded by donations and run under the guise of charity/ non-profit, but whose aim is to convert the vulnerable but only the gullible will be fooled. Sensible people should realise that these self-serving wolves in sheep's clothing are definitely not "saviors" but exploiters whose aim is to help themselves get more followers by enticing them to leave their religion in 2 ways: spreading misinformation and creating a sense of debt/ loyalty for services rendered. Conversion is a despicable practice because it disrespects another person's religion or way of life without seeking to properly understand it. The founder of Shanti Bhavan is obviously one such person who was converted and is now on a mission to convert many others. Missionaries always operate under the guise of "helping". But in their quest to homogenize everyone, they are a threat to diversity and that is a real concern. On the same way that persons want their religion to be respected, they should respect others. In the same way that they would not want to be converted, they should not try to convert others. I would not recommend that anyone supports a school, film or project with conversion agenda. This is why I give this the lowest rating and encourage others to do the same. While you're at it, find out the truth about where caste came from, you will find it's not from Hinduism. It's so ironic that colonizers stole from Indians then used the funds to build schools to convert them. Furthermore, it's these white invaders that introduced caste and racial discrimination. But now Hindus must be grateful for those who caused the confusion in the first place? I'm so tired of the hypocrisy and so fed-up of seeing films like these using "caste" to promote their conversion agenda. I consider it a dangerous film because it's spreading misinformation and promoting hatred towards Hindus. This is unacceptable.
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