Sacred Evil – A True Story: Difference between revisions

Sacred Evil
Sacred Evil
Directed by	Abhigyan Jha; Abhiyan Rajhans
Screenplay by	Abhigyan Jha; Mrinal Jha
Based on	Sacred Evil: Encounters With the Unknown; by Ipsita Roy Chakraverti
Produced by	Abhigyan Jha
Starring	Sarika; Lynsey Pow; Frédéric Andrau
Cinematography	Ivan Kozelka
Edited by	Sanjib Datta
Music by	Claver Menezes
Production; companies	Sahara One Motion Pictures; Undercover Productions
Distributed by	Percept Pictures Company
Release date	2006;
Running time	109 minutes
Country	India
Languages	Hindi; English

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Sacred Evil (Hindi: Gehra Paani) is a 2006 Indian supernatural/surreal film directed by Abhigyan Jha and Abhiyan Rajhans. It is based on the book Sacred Evil: Encounters With the Unknown by Indian Wiccan priestess Ipsita Roy Chakraverti and portrays various cases of healing described in the book. The film stars actress Sarika as Ipsita.^[1]

Plot

Based on a true story from the case files of a real-life Wiccan, Ipsita Roy Chakraverti, Sacred Evil is the story of three women separated by a twenty-year-old secret: a nun, a Wiccan, and a girl in search of her mother.

The nun is Martha, a 45-year-old withering woman who lives in a secluded convent in Calcutta. Even in the sanctuary of the church, she is haunted by a specter that threatens her sanity. The Wiccan, Ipsita, is called upon by the unconventional Mother Superior to heal Martha's soul.

The task is difficult as Martha is reticent about talking about the events in her past. Using her skills as a healer and her training as a Jungian psychotherapist, Ipsita gradually opens the door to Martha's story of the one who haunts her.

An Anglo-Indian girl called Claudia grows up with the angst of not knowing her mother, Maureen, alienated in her Indian surroundings by her blue eyes and blonde hair.

The story now goes back and forth as events from Claudia's life begin to intersect Martha's, and Ipsita tries to sort out the tangled threads of the past and present. In her search for the lost Maureen, whom everyone says looked much like her, Claudia becomes obsessed with her mother's image. She begins to turn into her mother. Like her, she seeks out and falls in love with a foreigner, Pierre, a young Frenchman who is in Calcutta for a doctorate. But Pierre is never sure who is in love with him, Claudia or Maureen.

As she tries to heal Martha with centuries-old Egyptian rituals of the Wicca, Ipsita learns of Claudia's struggle to keep her sanity and Martha's attempts to save her soul — how she tried hard to bring her to the church and let God heal her. Ipsita also learns that somewhere the attempts failed. Something happened. Claudia's burden became Martha's. With her own efforts failing to heal Martha's spirit, Ipsita is led to a startling discovery in the end, which makes her wonder if the sacred will ever be as strong in us as the evil is.

Cast

Sarika as Ipsita
Lynsey Pow as Claudia and Martha
Frédéric Andrau as Pierre

Music

Tu Pyaar Ka Saagar Hai" - Asmita Sen
O Majhi" - Kailash Kher

Reception

Critical and commercial

Upon its release, the movie received mixed reviews from critics and was compared to Satyajit Ray's work.^[2]

Commercially the film fared poorly as it was released without proper context by Percept Picture Company in India; it has still not been released in Europe, USA and Canada — the markets for which the film was made. The Indian audience found it difficult to grasp the conflict between the church and the Wiccan and the subdued and surreal drama. A lot of people in India refer to Sacred Evil as a horror film though it is not in the horror genre. It deals with the paranormal, but it is more about alienation and loneliness and how strange life can be than ghosts and goblins.^[3]^[4]

Political

The Catholic Secular Forum demanded a separate screening of the film as they said that it promoted witchcraft and violence and indoctrinated the people in evil. There were warnings of possible arson and violence.^[5]

References

^ "'Sacred Evil' a no-no for non-believers". Monsters and Critics. 3 June 2006. Archived from the original on 8 November 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
^ Mishra, Anshika (29 May 2006). "The 'faithful' will watch Sacred Evil - Mumbai - DNA". Dnaindia.com. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
^ "Sacred Evil : Movie Review". Glamsham.com. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
^ "Sacred Evil: Promo Watch". Bollywood Hungama. 4 May 2006. Archived from the original on 10 November 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
^ Mishra, Ankit (16 May 2006). "Catholic groups now target 'Sacred Evil' - Entertainment - DNA". Dnaindia.com. Retrieved 5 August 2010.

External links

Sacred Evil at IMDb

[1] "'Sacred Evil' a no-no for non-believers". Monsters and Critics. 3 June 2006. Archived from the original on 8 November 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2010.

[2] Mishra, Anshika (29 May 2006). "The 'faithful' will watch Sacred Evil - Mumbai - DNA". Dnaindia.com. Retrieved 5 August 2010.

[3] "Sacred Evil : Movie Review". Glamsham.com. Retrieved 5 August 2010.

[4] "Sacred Evil: Promo Watch". Bollywood Hungama. 4 May 2006. Archived from the original on 10 November 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2010.

[5] Mishra, Ankit (16 May 2006). "Catholic groups now target 'Sacred Evil' - Entertainment - DNA". Dnaindia.com. Retrieved 5 August 2010.

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@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 {{Use Indian English|date=October 2015}}
 {{Infobox film
-| name        = Sacred Evil
+| name           = Sacred Evil
-| image       = Sacred evil poster.jpg
+| image          = Sacred evil poster.jpg
-| writer      = [[Ipsita Roy Chakraverti]] (book),<br>Abhigyan Jha (screenplay)
+| director       = [[Abhigyan Jha]]<br>Abhiyan Rajhans
-| starring    = [[Sarika]]<br>Lynsey Pow<br>Frédéric Andrau
+| screenplay     = Abhigyan Jha<br/>[[Mrinal Jha]]
+| based_on       = {{based on|''Sacred Evil: Encounters With the Unknown''|[[Ipsita Roy Chakraverti]]}}
-| director    = [[Abhigyan Jha]]<br>Abhiyan Rajhans
-| producer    = [[Abhigyan Jha]]
+| producer       = Abhigyan Jha
+| starring       = [[Sarika]]<br>Lynsey Pow<br>Frédéric Andrau
-| distributor = Percept Pictures Company
+| cinematography = Ivan Kozelka
-| released    = {{Film date|2006}}
-| runtime     = 109 minutes
+| editing        = Sanjib Datta
-| language    = Hindi<br/>English
+| music          = Claver Menezes
+| studio         = [[Sahara One|Sahara One Motion Pictures]]<br/>[[Abhigyan Jha|Undercover Productions]]
-| country     = [[India]]
+| distributor    = Percept Pictures Company
-| music       = Claver Menezes
-| budget      =
+| released       = {{Film date|2006}}
+| runtime        = 109 minutes
+| country        = [[India]]
+| language       = Hindi<br/>English
+| budget         =
 }}
-'''''Sacred Evil''''' is an [[India]]n supernatural/surreal film directed by [[Abhigyan Jha]] and [[Abhiyan Rajhans]]. It was released in 2006. ''Sacred Evil'' is about duality, exploring the premise that reality always has two sides. Where there is light, there is shadow.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/movies/reviews/article_1169299.php/Sacred_Evil_a_no-no_for_non-believers |title='Sacred Evil' a no-no for non-believers |publisher=Monsters and Critics |date=2006-06-03 |accessdate=2010-08-05}}</ref>
+'''''Sacred Evil''''' ([[Hindi]]: '''''Gehra Paani''''') is a 2006 [[India]]n supernatural/surreal film directed by [[Abhigyan Jha]] and Abhiyan Rajhans. It is based on the book ''Sacred Evil: Encounters With the Unknown'' by Indian [[Wicca]]n priestess [[Ipsita Roy Chakraverti]] and portrays various cases of healing described in the book. The film stars actress [[Sarika]] as Ipsita.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/movies/reviews/article_1169299.php/Sacred_Evil_a_no-no_for_non-believers |title='Sacred Evil' a no-no for non-believers |publisher=Monsters and Critics |date=2006-06-03 |accessdate=2010-08-05 |archive-date=8 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091108140639/http://www.monstersandcritics.com/movies/reviews/article_1169299.php/Sacred_Evil_a_no-no_for_non-believers |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 ==Plot==
-Based on a true story from the case files of a real-life Wiccan, [[Ipsita Roy Chakraverti]], ''Sacred Evil'' is the story of three women separated by a twenty-year-old secret: a nun, a Wiccan and a girl in search of her mother.
+Based on a true story from the case files of a real-life Wiccan, [[Ipsita Roy Chakraverti]], ''Sacred Evil'' is the story of three women separated by a twenty-year-old secret: a nun, a Wiccan, and a girl in search of her mother.
-The nun is Martha, a 45-year-old withering woman who lives in a secluded convent in Calcutta. Even in the sanctuary of the Church, she is haunted by a specter that threatens her sanity. The Wiccan, Ipsita, is called upon by the unconventional Mother Superior to heal Martha's soul.
+The nun is Martha, a 45-year-old withering woman who lives in a secluded convent in Calcutta. Even in the sanctuary of the church, she is haunted by a specter that threatens her sanity. The Wiccan, Ipsita, is called upon by the unconventional Mother Superior to heal Martha's soul.
-The task is difficult as Martha is reticent in talking about the events in her past. Using her skills as a healer and her training as a Jungian psychotherapist, Ipsita gradually opens the door to Martha's story of the one who haunts her.
+The task is difficult as Martha is reticent about talking about the events in her past. Using her skills as a healer and her training as a Jungian psychotherapist, Ipsita gradually opens the door to Martha's story of the one who haunts her.
-An Anglo-Indian girl called Claudia grows up with the angst of not knowing her mother Maureen, alienated in her Indian surroundings by her blue eyes and blonde hair.
+An Anglo-Indian girl called Claudia grows up with the angst of not knowing her mother, Maureen, alienated in her Indian surroundings by her blue eyes and blonde hair.
-The story now goes back and forth as events from Claudia's life begin to intersect Martha's and Ipsita tries to sort out the tangled threads of the past and present. In her search for the lost Maureen, whom everyone says looked much like her, Claudia becomes obsessed with her mother's image. She begins to turn into her mother. Like her, she seeks out and falls in love with a foreigner, Pierre, a young Frenchman who is in Calcutta for a doctorate. But Pierre is never sure who is in love with him, Claudia or Maureen.
+The story now goes back and forth as events from Claudia's life begin to intersect Martha's, and Ipsita tries to sort out the tangled threads of the past and present. In her search for the lost Maureen, whom everyone says looked much like her, Claudia becomes obsessed with her mother's image. She begins to turn into her mother. Like her, she seeks out and falls in love with a foreigner, Pierre, a young Frenchman who is in Calcutta for a doctorate. But Pierre is never sure who is in love with him, Claudia or Maureen.
-As she tries to heal Martha with centuries-old Egyptian rituals of the Wicca, Ipsita learns of Claudia's struggle to keep her sanity and Martha's attempts to save her soul &mdash; how she tried hard to bring her to the Church and let God heal her. Ipsita also learns that somewhere the attempts failed. Something happened. Claudia's burden became Martha's. With her own efforts failing to heal Martha's spirit, Ipsita is led to a startling discovery in the end which makes her wonder if the sacred will ever be as strong in us as the evil is.
+As she tries to heal Martha with centuries-old Egyptian rituals of the Wicca, Ipsita learns of Claudia's struggle to keep her sanity and Martha's attempts to save her soul — how she tried hard to bring her to the church and let God heal her. Ipsita also learns that somewhere the attempts failed. Something happened. Claudia's burden became Martha's. With her own efforts failing to heal Martha's spirit, Ipsita is led to a startling discovery in the end, which makes her wonder if the sacred will ever be as strong in us as the evil is.
-==Cast and crew==
+==Cast==
-* [[Sarika]] as Ipsita
+* [[Sarika]] as [[Ipsita Ray Chakraverti|Ipsita]]
-* [[Lynsey Pow]] as Claudia and Martha
+* Lynsey Pow as Claudia and Martha
-* [[Frédéric Andrau]] as Pierre
+* Frédéric Andrau as Pierre
-* Directed by Abhigyan jha and Abhiyan Rajhans
-* Writing credit: [[Ipsita Ray Chakraverti]] (book), [[Abhigyan Jha]] and [[Mrinal Jha]] (screenplay)
-* Produced by Sahara One Motion Pictures
-* Executive Producer: Undercover Productions (Abhigyan Jha)
-* Original Music: Claver Menezes
-* Cinematography: Ivan Kozelka
-* Film Editing: Sanjib Datta
-* Costume Design: Darshan Jalan
-* Make Up: [[Vikram Gaikwad]]
-* Original English Lyrics: Abhigyan Jha
 ==Music==
@@ Line 54: / Line 48: @@
 ===Critical and commercial ===
-Upon its release, the movie received mixed reviews from critics and was compared to [[Satyajit Ray]]'s work. Lyrical and haunting &mdash; ''Sacred Evil'' is a far cry from Bollywood fare. It is the first Indian English film that stars actors from France and England in leading roles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_the-faithful-will-watch-sacred-evil_1032185 |title=The ‘faithful’ will watch Sacred Evil - Mumbai - DNA |publisher=Dnaindia.com |date=2006-05-29 |accessdate=2010-08-05 |last=Mishra |first=Anshika}}</ref>
+Upon its release, the movie received mixed reviews from critics and was compared to [[Satyajit Ray]]'s work.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_the-faithful-will-watch-sacred-evil_1032185 |title=The 'faithful' will watch Sacred Evil - Mumbai - DNA |publisher=Dnaindia.com |date=2006-05-29 |accessdate=2010-08-05 |last=Mishra |first=Anshika}}</ref>
-Commercially the film fared poorly as it was released without proper context by Percept Picture Company in India; it has still not been released in Europe, USA and Canada &mdash; the markets for which the film was made. The Indian audience found it difficult to grasp the conflict between the church and the Wiccan and the subdued and surreal drama. A lot of people in India refer to ''Sacred Evil'' as a horror film though it is not in the horror genre. It deals with the paranormal, but it is more about alienation and loneliness and how strange life can be than ghosts and goblins.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.glamsham.com/movies/reviews/sacred_evil.asp |title=Sacred Evil : Movie Review |publisher=Glamsham.com |date= |accessdate=2010-08-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/features/2006/05/04/1188/index.html |title=Sacred Evil: Promo Watch |publisher=Bollywoodhungama.com |date=2006-05-04 |accessdate=2010-08-05}}</ref>
+Commercially the film fared poorly as it was released without proper context by Percept Picture Company in India; it has still not been released in Europe, USA and Canada &mdash; the markets for which the film was made. The Indian audience found it difficult to grasp the conflict between the church and the Wiccan and the subdued and surreal drama. A lot of people in India refer to ''Sacred Evil'' as a horror film though it is not in the horror genre. It deals with the paranormal, but it is more about alienation and loneliness and how strange life can be than ghosts and goblins.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.glamsham.com/movies/reviews/sacred_evil.asp |title=Sacred Evil : Movie Review |publisher=Glamsham.com |date= |accessdate=2010-08-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/features/2006/05/04/1188/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110003546/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/features/2006/05/04/1188/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 November 2010 |title=Sacred Evil: Promo Watch |website=[[Bollywood Hungama]] |date=2006-05-04 |accessdate=2010-08-05}}</ref>
 ===Political===
-The [[Catholic Secular Forum]] demanded a separate screening of the film as they said that it promoted witchcraft and violence and indoctrinated the people in evil. There were warnings of possible arson and violence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_catholic-groups-now-target-sacred-evil_1029609 |title=Catholic groups now target ‘Sacred Evil’ - Entertainment - DNA |publisher=Dnaindia.com |date=2006-05-16 |accessdate=2010-08-05 |last=Mishra |first=Ankit}}</ref>
+The [[Catholic Secular Forum]] demanded a separate screening of the film as they said that it promoted witchcraft and violence and indoctrinated the people in evil. There were warnings of possible arson and violence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_catholic-groups-now-target-sacred-evil_1029609 |title=Catholic groups now target 'Sacred Evil' - Entertainment - DNA |publisher=Dnaindia.com |date=2006-05-16 |accessdate=2010-08-05 |last=Mishra |first=Ankit}}</ref>
 ==References==
@@ Line 70: / Line 64: @@
 [[Category:2006 films]]
 [[Category:2000s Hindi-language films]]
-[[Category:Indian films]]
 [[Category:Indian ghost films]]
 [[Category:Films set in Kolkata]]
-[[Category:Films about Wicca]]
 [[Category:Films based on Indian novels]]
+[[Category:Films about neopaganism]]
+[[Category:Films about witchcraft]]
+[[Category:Indian supernatural films]]
+[[Category:Films based on non-fiction books]]
+[[Category:Indian films based on actual events]]
+[[Category:Hindi-language films based on actual events]]
+[[Category:English-language Indian films]]
+[[Category:2000s in modern paganism]]
+[[Category:2006 horror films]]
+[[Category:Indian horror films]]
+[[Category:Indian supernatural horror films]]