By Verghese V Joseph –
Keeping up with its tagline, the southern Indian state of Kerala is literally turning out to be “God’s Own Country.” In the recent past, the state has testified to four saints — Kuriakose Elias Chavara, Euphrasia, Alphonsa and Mariam Thresia and one more to follow soon Blessed Rani Maria. ‘Blessed’ which is the penultimate (second last) step in the canonisation process. Of all the saints and to-be saints, Blessed Rani Maria’s story stands poignant.
Born in Kochi in Kerala in 1954, Sister Rani Maria after becoming a nun joined the Franciscan Clarist Congregation for missionary work. She mostly worked in North India for her congregation. On the fateful day of February 25, 1995, she was dragged out of a bus near Indore and stabbed to death by one Samundar Singh, who is alleged to have been hired by moneylenders, as their business got affected following the work by Sister Rani Maria among the women by creating self-help groups. One of the most touching events was her family pardoning Singh when he was left free in 2006.
Recreating these moments on the celluloid is an internationally acclaimed documentary film maker, cameraman and photographer – Shaison P. Ouseph. The shoot for the movie began as soon as the Covid pandemic settled down. His many credits range from director of photography to art direction on a myriad of documentaries and independent feature projects. So far he has worked in 35 countries and won more than 10 international recognitions, including United Nations’ and International Independent Film Awards. Currently he is the HOD for Film, Television and Digital Video Production Course at XIC, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai.
In an interaction with the ICM Editor, Shaison walks us through his thought process and insights. Excerpts from the interaction:
Was it because Blessed Rani Maria was murdered in a knife attack that you took this up as a subject for a movie about her?
No, it wasn’t only because of that. I have been doing research on Sister Rani Maria’s life for the past 5 years, and I came to understand and feel that she is truly an example of empowerment of the oppressed. Even though she was a Catholic nun with certain limitations within this society, she continued ahead with the fortitude of her beliefs, and of serving the poor in any capacity that she could. Just as Saint Teresa of Calcutta did for people in her day, Sr. Rani Maria was also an instrument of good work to those truly in need, and her story deserves to be celebrated and told to the world.
My goal in taking on any subject for a film is to let the world know that there are many good people who exist, who strive to make a change in the lives of others, even when facing adversity and detriment to themselves. One of the main reasons I wanted to make this film is that Sr. Rani Maria is a true example of the fight against injustice in society. I want to have an impact on an international scale with the story of a woman, a nun, who fully walked in the shoes of her beliefs of what was good and right. Through this film I hope to bring attention to the needs of oppressed women throughout the world, and disadvantaged people of India in particular.
Film has an intrinsic power, not only to reach the masses but to also move minds more so than even the written or spoken word. When we can see the story, we can feel the story. This is a story that I think should be seen and felt.
How do you plan to portray the hitman Samandar Singh in the movie? Would you explore his character as an antagonist and /or backed by some ideology?
I have had the distinct privilege of being able to spend some time meeting and interacting with Samandar Singh, within his native village a couple of years back. I was able to have some deep discussions, to build a rapport with him on this topic, and he was able to reveal some surprisingly different angles to this question.
Obviously, at some point he is a primary antagonist, as a man drawn into a very dark side of life, used as an instrument to not only harm, but murder an innocent woman. But there is another side also, which is that in many ways Samandar Singh is just as much of a protagonist of this story as Sr. Rani Maria. It’s his life story also, and it’s a testament to how desperation can drive people to do the most heinous and grievous things imaginable, yet through the higher powers of love and forgiveness there is still space for redemption.
No doubt Samandar Singh was an instrument in the hands of some very dark powers…powers that still exist today, and control the lives of those in our society with no way out.
In your research about Blessed Rani Maria as a Saint, what are some insights that you featured in the movie?
There was a quote by tribal leader Gulzar Singh Markam that struck me in a particular way. He said, “[I view] Rani Maria’s work and murder differently. I do not look at her as a Christian religious [figure], but as the manifestation of humanity.”
I often get asked questions pertaining to my religious perspective on the films that I make. As someone who was raised in the Catholic faith, and who continues to practice that faith today, I take much pride in my religion and the spiritual lessons I have learned through Catholicism. My mission as a filmmaker however, is never to cover the core values of a story being told, with a religious perspective that may not apply to everyone. Sr. Rani Maria’s story isn’t just a Catholic story. Not all nuns are saints, not all religious people are good or well intentioned, non-believers can also be wonderful people who believe in doing what is right.
This is a story about a woman, and a nun, who was able to take inspiration of all that was good in the teachings of her faith. She took what was kind, compassionate, loving, and embodied it for the benefit of those less fortunate. That to me is the true definition of a Saint…the capability of the human spirit to do the work of the divine. This is one of the main aspects that I wish to bring into the film. Only great humans can work for the liberation of the marginalized from oppressors through risking one’s own life.
Have you explored the relationship between Sr. Rani Maria and her biological sister, Sr. Selmy Paul?
Yes. Sr. Rani Maria’s biological sister, Sr. Selmy Paul, plays a major role not only in the context of the film, but in the story of Rani Maria’s life, the aftermath of her death, and the fate of hitman Samandar Singh. I have gotten to speak with her on several occasions, and throughout our interviews and interactions I find her to be one of the biggest inspirations for doing this film.
For those that do not know, Sr. Selmy Paul is also a Catholic nun who belongs to the same congregation as Sr. Rani Maria. Sr. Paul would often travel to visit Samandar Singh in the prison, to speak with him, to counsel him, and maybe to try to find some understanding or closure. After many visits, she realized that she was dealing with a human soul in peril, and that it was her mission to help him. She not only chose to forgive this man who murdered her sister, but to help save his life. She became one of the most outspoken advocates for Samandar Singh, and played a major role in getting him released from his life sentence. She is one of the guiding heartbeats that turned a story of tragedy into a story of inspiration and redemption.
How did you go about casting for the movie? Any interesting aspects that came about in getting it right?
I think there is always some amount of flux that goes into getting the right people into the right roles, it’s not always a perfect process. In the initial stages of this creation, I was thinking about a small audience of people in Kerala, and particularly Christians in India. Therefore, we had discussed with some of the leading South Indian actresses to play the lead role as Sr. Rani Maria, and we had almost fixed those actors.
Later discussing the story of Sr. Rani Maria with prominent filmmakers both in Hollywood and Bollywood, we realized that we needed exceptionally good actors to harness the depth of these roles, not just famous ones. There have definitely been some shifts in how we have gone about casting for this film. Who knows, we may even be introduce some new talent if it’s the right fit.
How did you manage resources, locales, more importantly funding? Did you use the crowd-funding route?
I think crowd-funding is an amazing new resource, especially for young filmmakers looking for an outlet to get started. There may be aspects of this that we look into for the future, as it’s definitely something that seems to be catching on in a lot of creative industries. For this film at least, we are lucky enough to have a producer and an available budget.
For the last two years, after completion of the script, I had been running around trying to find a producer who would understand the worth of this film. To be frank, I didn’t find someone with that intention for quite a long time.
It wasn’t until the end of 2019 that we got a really capable producer who knew about Sr. Rani Maria, and connected with her story. As with anything in life, it’s all about timing. You can’t really force something until the right people show up for it, and I think we have finally gotten to that point. Now that we have the right producer on board, we have more freedom to explore, and start the creative process of building the world of Sr. Rani Maria’s life. Obviously we want to be able to use every resource we can to tell this story in as authentic a way as possible.
Are you looking at this as a commercially viable project?
This is a low budget film in comparison to any big Bollywood production, but that does not mean that we are going to compromise in any way on its quality. We have some of the most experienced film crew and award-winning technicians working behind the scenes. We have many people who are not only committed to doing the best work possible for this film, but are passionate about the story and want to do it justice. This is going to be a commercial, full-length, feature film in two languages, both Malayalam and Hindi. We believe that Sr. Rani Maria’s story deserves to be told, and to have as wide an audience as possible around the world.
What was the reaction of the church? Are they supporting you in this venture?
The church has always been very supportive. Especially the Bishop of Indore Most Rev Chacko Thottumarickal, S.V.D. and Fr. Joby Anand (Atmadarshan TV) who has been keen in the discussions about the development of this film, along with many other church leaders.
It’s their wish to highlight the very real struggles that are faced in serving marginalized communities, and the Catholic church’s efforts to support the helpless in our society. Sr. Rani Maria’s life was a perfect example of the beauty and the perils of being of service to those within the deepest recesses of deprivation and poverty. She gave that service with her very life, and for that the Church has rightfully deemed her a Saint. We all want to spread that message of compassion and goodness.