French Filmmaker Valentin Hénault Reveals Caste Realities and Prison Hell in New Memoir

In August 2023, French documentary filmmaker Valentin Hénault arrived in India to shoot a film on the brutal realities of caste discrimination, particularly the atrocities and resilience of Dalit women in northern states of India. His journey soon took a shocking turn when while attending the peaceful Ambedkar People’s March in Gorakhpur, he was detained by police, arrested at his hotel, and charged under the Foreigners Act for allegedly violating his business visa. Sent to Gorakhpur Central Jail, he endured a month of incarceration that exposed him to overcrowding, physical hardships, and deep-seated caste hierarchies and religious divisions suffered by prisoners from Bahujan and Muslims communities. Three years later, Hénault has now chronicled this ordeal in his French memoir J’avais un rêve indien. Dans l’enfer de la prison de Gorakhpur (translated as I Had an Indian Dream: In the Hell of Gorakhpur Prison), launched in India in January 2026. In this interview with The Wire, he discusses his original "Indian dream," his pre-arrest travels and filming challenges, the stark caste dynamics he witnessed inside jail and the broader insights his book offers into India's enduring social and carceral realities. Join The Wire's Youtube Membership and get exclusive content, member-only emojis, live interaction with The Wire's founders, editors and reporters and much more. Memberships to The Wire Crew start at Rs 89/month. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChWtJey46brNr7qHQpN6KLQ/join