Acclaimed Australian Filmmaker David Bradbury Detained at Chennai Airport, Deported Without Explanation

David Bradbury, an acclaimed Australian documentary filmmaker and two-time Oscar nominee, was detained at Chennai Airport upon his arrival in India with his two children, Nakeita (21) and Omar (14). The 73-year-old filmmaker had planned a two-week trip to India to help his family cope with the grief of losing his wife, Treena Lenthall, five months earlier. The family intended to visit Varanasi, where Bradbury hoped to show his children how Hindus "deal with death and say farewell to their loved ones in the next life."

However, Bradbury's plans were abruptly cut short when immigration authorities stopped him upon arrival. Without any explanation, he was detained for 24 hours before being deported to Thailand, where the family had traveled from. His children were allowed to stay and continue their trip in India, but Bradbury was forced to leave.

Speaking to *The Wire* after the ordeal, Bradbury recounted the harrowing conditions he was subjected to during his detention. “I was kept in a pretty disgusting room with papers and rubbish on the floor under a bed with a filthy mattress and no sheets,” he said. He explained that he was denied access to a toilet and his medication, forced to relieve himself in a paper cup after repeated requests for proper facilities were ignored.

Bradbury suspects his detention may be linked to his earlier work in India, specifically his coverage of protests against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu. In 2012, Bradbury visited the coastal village of Idinthakarai, documenting the local community’s concerns over the safety of the plant, especially in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan. His footage captured the fears of the fishing communities living near the plant, who believed the risks of a nuclear accident could be devastating. “If one of those reactors has a meltdown like Fukushima or Chernobyl… the consequences and triggering of cancer from the radiation leakage would prove catastrophic,” Bradbury said.

During that 2012 visit, Bradbury faced harassment and detention while trying to film near the Kudankulam site. He later published an article, *Documenting Dissent: David Bradbury's Account of Harassment in Koodankulam*, criticizing the Indian government for building nuclear reactors in what he considered a dangerous fault zone. He described the decision as “irresponsible towards their own people but also to the world."

Despite his recent ordeal, Bradbury urged his children to continue with their trip in India. His daughter Nakeita expressed frustration and sadness over her father’s treatment. “It was just very sad and unfair. The Indian authorities had issued my father a visa after all… There was no reason to trouble him and us this way,” she said.

The family stayed in touch throughout the ordeal, and Bradbury expressed pride in how his children handled the situation, though he deeply regretted not being able to accompany them on their journey. As of now, Indian authorities have not provided any official reason for Bradbury’s detention and deportation.