By A J Philip

New Delhi, Oct 21, 2023: I was at a retreat center in Indore, attending a three-day clergy conference, where I was a resource person when I received the invitation for the preview of the film ‘The Face of the Faceless’ at the Films Division auditorium in New Delhi on October 19.

Naturally, my thoughts began to center on Blessed Rani Maria and her martyrdom.

I wanted to visit the spot where she was stabbed multiple times in a private bus, and her body was dragged out of it and thrown on the ground. No, the horrendous murder did not happen in the 18th or the 19th century, but on February 25, 1995 — less than three decades ago.

Unfortunately, the program was scheduled so tightly that I could not find time to visit either the spot where she was killed or the memorial structure that proclaims the life, service, and martyrdom of Sister Rani Maria.

As Danish theologian and poet Soren Kierkegaard says, ‘The tyrant dies and his rule is over; the martyr dies and her rule begins.’ Martyrdom is not new to Christianity. There have been countless martyrs since the protomartyr Christian deacon in Jerusalem, Saint Stephen, was martyred in 36 CE. His feast day falls on December 26.

I encountered the last martyr in my memory a few weeks ago. I saw the video of a Christian Bible worker, a well-built man in his late thirties or early forties. He was being thrashed, kicked, and jumped on by a group of people whose eyes were filled with hatred. It was horrible to watch the video as the man fell down, and they stood on him as if he were Mount Everest!

The way he was attacked, it was obvious that he would not survive, given all the injuries his internal organs would have suffered. A few days after I saw the video, I read the news in a WhatsApp group that he died on the 30th day after the attack.

No, the incident did not happen in Manipur but in the Hindi heartland, and I am sure his killers are enjoying all the creature comforts while the poor man’s wife and children lead a miserable life. The only crime he committed was to preach the message of love that Christ embodied, but nothing angers those filled with hatred more than the message of peace. Blessed Rani Maria stands out for many other reasons as well.

She is on the road to sainthood today, which makes her life all the more endearing, memorable, and inspiring. She was born on January 29, 1954, nine months after I was born. She was given the baptismal name Mariam, after Mother Mary, the mother of Jesus.

She chose to be a nun of her own volition. Her family would have been happier if she had studied, managed to get a job, got married, and had children and grandchildren. She wanted to be a nun and follow in the footsteps of Saint Teresa of Kolkata, who wanted every nun to ‘be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.’

Blessed Maria wanted to work in His vineyard, and that is how she reached Uttar Pradesh, where she earned a name as a passionate missionary who would run when she was asked to walk. Her real life started when she reached the diocese of Indore in Madhya Pradesh, and she got involved in the people’s lives. She knew that there is no greater service than giving oneself to His cause.

She took the Biblical prescription, ‘the greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted,’ as literally true and began living accordingly. Soon, she found herself getting involved in the people’s struggle for equity and self-respect.

The Indian Penal Code, drafted by Thomas Babington Macaulay, who had a missionary lineage, came into force in 1860. It is the least amended law, unlike the Constitution, which was amended more than a hundred times since it came into force in 1950. But in the area where she worked, those in power paid lip service to the IPC.

The landlords, who also doubled as moneylenders, ruled the roost. There was no way in which the people could liberate themselves from their tyrannical control. They made good use of superstition and the illiteracy of the people to keep them in a permanent state of servitude.

Blessed Maria did nothing but educate the people about their right to equality, liberty, and fraternity that the Constitution proclaims so eloquently. As the children began to learn the alphabet, and the people began to ask for fair wages in lieu of the hard work they put in, she was branded a revolutionary, the same nickname Jesus was also given.

Once such a movement starts, there is no way it can be stopped. The moneylenders and the landlords began to realize that she was a real threat to their hegemony. They could not relish the idea of an ‘outsider’ challenging them on their own turf. And they conspired to finish her.

Blessed Maria’s younger blood sister, Sister Selmy Paul, who is also a Franciscan, was seriously ill, and she was on her way to Kerala when she was killed. As the early Christian author Tertullian, born in 160 AD, said, “the blood of the martyr is the seed of the church.”

The world was virtually taken by surprise when in 1985, Pope John Paul II visited the prison to meet Mehmet Ali Agca, who had tried to assassinate him two years earlier. He was not as close to his victim as Godse in Delhi was. He could only injure and not kill the Pope.

It was the first time in the history of the church that a Pope went to the prison, shook hands with his would-be assassin, pardoned him, and prayed for him. As I write this, the militants of Hamas and the Israelis have been expending all their energy in their bid to seek vengeance.

The Pope knew the Biblical injunction, ‘God tells us to never take revenge and to leave it to the Lord. God is the ultimate judge, and when we seek revenge, we are taking His place. When we become overwhelmed with what others have done wrong, we become filled with anger and find ourselves focused on hate’ (Romans 12,19).

No one knew Blessed Maria better than her own blood sister. She knew how her mind would have worked if she, like John Paul II, had escaped assassination. On the Rakshabandan Day in 2002, Selmy went to the jail to meet her sister’s murderer, Samandar Singh, and tied Rakhi on his hands as a sign of forgiveness on behalf of the family.

The family also helped him secure an early release from the jail. He visited Blessed Maria’s ancestral house and met her mother. She wanted to kiss his hands because they once had the blood of her darling daughter. Never in human history had a mother kissed the hands of her daughter’s killer for such a reason.

When I read about the visit at that time, I wondered whether saintliness or blood flowed in the veins of her mother and sister.

Blessed Maria’s story is indeed cinematic. There are innumerable films that depict revenge. Two of the greatest classics of Indian literature — the Ramayana and the Mahabharata — are stories of revenge.

Ravan abducted Sita to avenge the disfigurement of his sister by Lakshman. Rama and Lakshman wanted to avenge the abduction of Sita. The Mahabharata war occurred because Duryodhana was insulted by Draupadi, who called him the son of a blind man. Every episode in the epic is a story of revenge. What is missing in Blessed Mary’s story is the component of revenge.

True, she was killed by the landlord, who was upset because his control of the people and the land was being jeopardized by the sister. But she treated him the way she treated everyone else as brothers and sisters in Christ. No one knew this better than her blood sister, who knew that her sister had no hatred for him.

She had hatred only for the way he ill-treated the people, either because they were poor or because they were Dalits. She knew that when she tied Rakhi on the killer’s hand, Blessed Maria would have been happy in her heavenly abode.

When the Australian missionary Graham Staines and his teenaged sons Philip and Timothy were burnt alive in Orissa, his wife Gladys Staines issued a statement that she bore no ill-will for their killers, whom she pardoned. It was unbelievable for anyone that a lady who lost her husband and sons could react in this manner.

When I saw the 2019 film ‘The Least of These: The Graham Staines Story,’ produced by a friend and businessman in Dallas, USA, I felt that the producer had done a good job. It made the viewers aware of the complexities of dealing with leprosy on the one hand and explained why Bajrang Dal member Dara Singh was punished for the killing.

As reviewer Nandini Ramnath wrote at that time, “The facts behind the gruesome murders are watered down to the extent that the movie will offend nobody except those seeking to draw connections between the killings in the late 1990s and the current spate of attacks on minority groups”.

Nonetheless, it was a bold attempt to present facts when a former Chief Justice of India tried to justify the killing while giving a verdict. It is a different matter that he was forced to recall the verdict and make corrections in it. Of course, he was rewarded with the governorship of Kerala for his services rendered.

When I heard about ‘The Face of the Faceless,’ I wondered whether they would be able to do justice to the biopic. I must say, it was a great attempt to portray the story in an absolutely realistic manner. I was so engrossed in the film that I would not have minded skipping the intermission and the samosa and hot tea served during that time.

In fact, all those who filled the theatre would have liked to watch the movie in one go. Not that the film was flawless. There was an unnecessary scene when a cabaret dance was introduced to appeal to the baser instincts of some viewers.

What is noteworthy is that all those who questioned Sister Rani Maria’s involvement initially because of her religiosity turned out in the end to be her strongest supporters. Even Sister Betty, who acted as the devil’s advocate right from the beginning, ended up as her greatest supporter ready to go the whole hog.

The lead role of Sister Rani Maria is played by Vincy Aloshious, who won the best actor award in Kerala this year. Her performance could not have been anything but outstanding. There is not a single moment when she disappoints the audience. It is no easy task to rise to the stature of a nun who sacrifices her life for the faceless.

Sonali Mohanty as Kerly has an equally challenging role, and she is able to do full justice to her role. She is present in almost all the frames, and she epitomizes the transformation that Sister Rani Maria brings to the area where superstition, witchcraft, and servitude play supportive roles to keep the population subjugated forever.

I was happy to see my friend Fathr Stanley Kozhichira, who is the person behind the Star Church in Delhi, playing the perfect role of a goon in the film. It is difficult to mention all the actors in this short review. A film, no doubt, is identified with the director, in this case, Shaison P. Ouseph. He has succeeded in keeping the viewer glued to the screen, which is no mean achievement.

A large crew was behind the movie, which will make producer Sandra D’Souza Rana and her deputy Ranjan Abraham proud. I am certain that the film will be a hit when it is released soon in Kerala and, later, in the rest of the country. It is said that a good movie makes you forget that you’re watching a movie. This happened to me when I watched ‘The Face of the Faceless.’

(A.J. Philip is a senior journalist and columnist. He has held high editorial posts in The Tribune, the Indian Express and the Hindustan Times. He writes regularly for the Indian Currents, the Oman Tribune and the New Indian Express. He can be reached at ajphilip@gmail.com. This review first appeared in the Indian Currents weekly.)