Eyes of Stone
1990 | 91 minutes | Mewari and Hindi with English subtitles | India
Eyes of Stone is a film about spirit possession and healing shot in the interiors of Rajasthan at the temple of goddess Bhankya Mata legendary for her sway over the spirit world. The film is an eloquent feminist exploration of cultural expressions of ritual, faith, rebellion and healing that thrive within the confines of a stringent patriarchal order. Eyes of Stone is a deep and unsettling exploration of a single case of possession, that of 19-year-old Shanta.
In what has been hailed as a path-breaking cinema vérité exploration, the viewer reaches a deep understanding of the many exploitations surrounding women's lives and the subversions through which they empower themselves. The screening of this film was followed by a discussion between the filmmaker Nilita Vachani and psychologist Poornima Bhola.
About the Filmmaker
Nilita Vachani is a filmmaker, writer and teacher. She has produced, directed and edited the acclaimed award-winning documentaries, Eyes of Stone; Diamonds in a Vegetable Market; and When Mother Comes Home for Christmas. Her novel HomeSpun won Foreword's Choice Fiction award for 2008. Her long-form journalistic piece Inside Job won the Asia Media Foundation's Inaugural prize for Investigative Journalism in 2016. Vachani is affiliated with the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University and the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai.
About the Clinical Psychologist
Poornima Bhola currently works as Professor at the Department of Clinical Psychology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences. Her key research interests include youth mental health and suicidality, psychotherapist training and development and personality dimensions and disorders. She has recently authored a book, Reflective Practice and Professional Development in Psychotherapy published by SAGE.
