Dharm review

Bollywood 21/09/2007

Anyone who makes therapeutic cinema in choleric times deserves a kudos. Dharm is a film that needs to be made mandatory viewing in all schools across India if we really want to build a secular nation, without giving up on our traditional heritage. More importantly, it needs to be screened — free public viewings — for each and every fanatic organisation that exists within our country and in every communally sensitive town, kasbah, colony. Finally, it should be made compulsory viewing for some of our political leaders — and we won’t take names — who have made a killing out of orchestrated communal frenzy and caste violence.

Dharm is not an ordinary film. Its power lies in the fact that it gives us a progressive interpretation of religion, straight from the head pontiff who has pursued a life of misconstrued religiosity. A respected Brahmin priest, Pandit Chaturvedi (Pankaj Kapoor) has dominated the spiritual landscape of Benares with his strict adherence to the traditional tenets of practised Hinduism. Like all conventional priests, he believes in caste and communal differences and his world almost falls apart when he realises he has adopted a Muslim child. The foundling who became Karthik for him was actually Mustafa, a child lost in the communal carnage that had ripped the city apart. When the child’s mother returns, the Pandit not only hurriedly gives him up, but also undergoes days of penance to purge his home, mind, body and soul, supposedly defiled by the presence of a non-believer.

Is this the true essence of Dharm? No, declares the Pandit, when the city begins to rage once again in the communal cauldron and his followers brandish their sharpened swords in half-burnt colonies. Set against the scenic backdrop of the Benares ghats, the film ends up equating Dharm with its true tenets: the world is one big family; any discrimination on the basis of colour, caste and community is anti-dharm. Pankaj Kapoor towers like a colossus amidst the dying social fabric and what could have been a didactic sermon on spirituality, turns up as uplifting soul curry.

Share

No Tags

1296 total views, 1 today

  

  • Sabyasachi: the powerhouse of fashion!!!

    “History repeats itself”… but for Sabyasachi Mukherjee it seems to be a source of inspiration with every upcoming fashion show. He started his career with the LIFW in 2002, and since then this NIFT Kolkata graduate didn’t have to look back. With the fashion statement that “dared to be different”, he earned himself rave reviews […]

  • Ancient Indian Fashion

    India has had a rich tradition of culture as well as fashion. Every fold and corner of the book of history of fashion in India is filled with sparkling facts and surprising lavishness. Cotton clothing dominated the fashion arena of women’s as well as men’s clothing. The women had begun draping saris over their bodies […]

  • FLOSSING FOR HEART HEALTH!

    Medical science has now proved that there is a direct connection to clean teeth and heart health. So if you are still on the look-out for reasons for why you should floss, this is a great enough one, isn’t it? Cleaner teeth and healthy gums not only increase the longevity and keep the good looks […]

  • Evening Wears for This Season

    Try something offbeat this season to impress at an evening party. This spring-summer collection will give you added lightness to endure the Indian heat. Shades like off-white, peach, ivory, cream, azure and other shades of true blue will be seen to be dominating the racks. Lime yellow as well as pink with hushed rose tones […]

  • Tommy Hilfiger

    Tommy Hilfiger was born on March 24, 1951 in New York. He is best known as an American fashion designer who’s “Tommy Hilfiger” and “Tommy” brands took the fashion world by storm. This series of clothing and apparel catapulted Tommy Hilfiger to world wide recognition and fame. Tommy Hilfiger became a household name in American […]