[a-kali-temple-inside-out--Film-list-image]

2018 / 83 minutes

Directed by
Dipesh Kharel Frode Storaas
Anthropologist
Country of production
Norway India

Religious boundaries in India are not necessarily as sharp and antagonistic as news media lead us to believe. This film portrays everyday life inside and around a Kali temple in the city of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh (India). Its central characters are a priest and three devotees, who show why this temple is so important to them. The film follows these characters through their daily routines at home, at the temple, and on their occasional visits to the holy places of other non-Hindu religious traditions. The film offers a counterpoint to assumptions about religious differences and shows a more complex relationship informed by mutual friendship and shared religious aspirations. As the priest says at the end of the film , “God is one, the religions are made by humans”.

In the 2021 RAI Film Fest Werbner Award
Language and subtitles
Hindi with English subtitles
Location(s) depicted
Kanpur
Region
South Asia
Country
India
Keywords
Religion / Belief / Faith Collective / Community identity