Sacred Evil, directed by Abiyaan Rajhans and Abhigyan Jha and produced by Sahara One, is inspired by the true story of a real life wicca, Ipsita Roy Chakraverti. The film is based on her book of the same name published by Harper Colins.

Its more of a psychological thriller than a horror film. Most importantly it is a true story, unlike the horror films that Bollywood periodically churns out. Except for Sarika who plays Ipsita Roy, the rest of the cast is international. Ivan Kozelka of Paris, who has earlier worked with Ismail Merchant, is the cinematographer.

The film is in English and marks a comeback for Sarika in a lead role, though we did see her in last year's Kal - Yesterday and Tomorrow.

The film's story revolves around three women, a nun, a witch and a girl in search of her mother, separated by a twenty year old secret.

The nun is forty five year old Martha who lives in a secluded convent in Calcutta, haunted by a spirit that threatens her sanity. The Witch is Ipsita who is called upon by the unconventional Mother Superior to heal Martha's soul. The young girl, Claudia, is in search for her mother, Maureen.

Claudia, growing up with the angst of not knowing her mother, is alienated in her Indian surroundings by her blue eyes and blonde hair. With everyone telling Claudia that her mother looked so much like her, she becomes obsessed with her mother's image.

She begins to turn into her mother. Like her mother, she seeks out and falls in love with a foreigner, Pierre, a young Frenchman in Calcutta for his doctorate. But Pierre is never sure who is in love with him, Claudia or Maureen.

Ipsita in the process of healing Martha, using centuries old rituals of witchcraft, discovers how Martha's life is spiritually entangled with that of Claudia. The story goes back and forth as events from Claudia's life begin to intersect Martha's and Ipsita tries to sort out the tangled threads of the past and the present.

Sarika reportedly spent time with Ipsita in her Delhi house to observe Ispita handling the crystal star at home wearing a black robe. Ipsita, who was actively involved in making of the film to ensure the purity of its storyline, has expressed satisfaction over the way Sarika has essayed the role of a Wicca.

The film has four songs, two of them the old classics, Tu Pyaar Ka Saagar Hai and SD Burman's O Re Majhi have been recomposed.