Questioning notions of virginity and chastity of woman across different cultures in India do not ordinarily make for everyday conversation.
However, with her documentary "My Sacred Glass Bowl" filmmaker Priya Thuvassery attempts to create a dialogue about this rarely talked about issue.
As Part of the ongoing PSBT's (Public Sector Broadcasting Trust) Open Frame Film Festival 2013, the film was conceived after Priya read a newspaper report citing instances where virginity and pregnancy tests were conducted on girls before matrimonial alliances.
"When I read the report, I kept thinking about why only women were subjected to the test of chastity and not men. Why did we not hear of health checks or an HIV test conducted on men before marriage?" says Priya a media professional and a Mass Communication graduate from Jamia Millia Islamia.
"As a modern woman, I have the voice to speak for myself, if somebody questions my morality. But how can poor girls react?" Priya says.
Shot in the interiors of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Lucknow, Jaipur and Delhi, the documentary depicts different customs prevalent in the country through which a bride is tested for purity after marriage.
The "Kukari Ki Rasam" in Rajasthan is one such ritual, points out the film maker.
"If the bride is found to be non righteous, a Panchayat is called and the groom's family demands repayment of the money they paid for the bride," the filmmaker says.
The title of the documentary "My Sacred Glass Bowl" has been derived from the Malayalam "Palanku Pathram", which represents a sacred entity. In the film, it symbolises the purity of an intact hymen.
The film is also launching fresh faces beginning with the musicians, animator to the camera man.
