Wiccan condemns Ekta Kapoor’s film

Ipsita Chakraverti feels producer’s next portrays witches in bad light, meets and discusses issue with President

Ipsita Roy Chakraverti, a Wiccan, has objected to the depiction of the witch, daayan, in Ekta Kapoor’s upcoming film Ek Thi Daayan (ETD). She has even written a letter to the President Pranab Mukherjee, informing him about the film.

“I met him on April 2 and brought the issue to his notice. He will be taking up the case with Mamta Sharma, who is the chairperson of the National Commission For Women.” Ipsita says, “The makers of ETD had asked me to be part of a promotional event in Kolkata to which I had initially agreed. But after I saw the promos, I refused to be part of any events. When I had spoken to the director (Kannan Iyer), he had told me it was a dark film. But the film portrays Wicca and so-called witches in a bad light. It is raking up age old superstitions which were perpetrated to commit atrocities against women, right from the middle ages and are still going on in our country. I would say it is a destructive film, especially when atrocities against women are at its height in our country.”

Ipsita has studied ancient cultures of the world in Canada and the US and later chose Wicca as her religion. She declared herself as a witch back in 1986 and has spoken time and again about Wicca and its healing power. “It’s a religion and a branch of learning, a way of life.” When contacted, producer Ekta Kapoor says, “I am sorry if someone feels upset about the portrayal of witches. It’s a subjective matter. While ETD is fiction, it leans on eerie facts about ancient witchcraft.”