Dharm - Manavta Hai Dharm. Review on Dharm

Movies with a theme set up in the beautiful city of Banaras have alwaiz left an impact on me. So here I am.writing a movie review after quite some time.

As mentioned earlier this movie is based out of Banaras, a place which is well known for its mysticism not only in India but all over the world. Banaras is the city of Moksha for Hindus since centuries and a symbol of spiritualism, philosophy and mysticism for thousands of years. The movie starts with the introduction of Pandit Chaturvedi who is shown a respected Brahmin potbellied priest and bare-torsoed symbol of religiosity. In the first half-hour of this tightly-wound homage to the aroma of incense on the angry ghats, the director establishes Chaturvedi's rigid but a ritualistic world as qualified by the priest's own dormant, tolerant to take on humanism.

His day starts with a holy dip in the Ganga and lives his life according to Sun. as he says in the movie:

Surya anusar jeevan vyateet karna pratyek bhahman ka kartavya hai. Aur mantra-uchharan dikhave ke liye nahi hona chahiye. grahak to mil jayenge.prabhu nahi.

Everything was going on fine, but one day his daughter(Vedika) brings home a baby that some lady left with Vedika while going to drink water from a nearby well and never came back. Vedika brings that baby to her home and Pandit being a little reluctant to keep this child finally decides to adopt this child when there is no sign of his mother. Slowly this bond between the Pandit and this child(Kartikey**) becomes stronger and deeper.

Pandit tries to bring up Kartikey as a good Brahmin and this fills the Pandit’s life with joy and laughter, till the day Pandit Chaturvedi is forced by religion to turn Kartikey away. What follows next is Pandit's purification and his repentance which even leads him to follow the chandrayan vrat which is one of the most difficult vrats described in the Hindu religious books.

For those who haven't seen the movie, here is the link about this vrat

https://vatikashaktipeeth.com/hindi/FAQ-chandrayan-vrat.htm

But what the Pandit doesn't realize is that religion should not be the basis of distinction between people. As said somewhere.

*Awwal Allah nuur upaaya, kudrat ke sab bande,

Ek nuur se sab jag upajayaa, kaun bhalay ko mande.

The climax deserves a special mention here in my review where pandit saves karthikey from being sacrificed in the name of religion by a group of hindus. The complete aura of Pandit in front of those 50 odd men is simply amazing and no one even dares to say anything when Pandit stands in between the mob and Karthikey. Some intense dialogues(hats off to **Varun Gautam for the excellent dialogues) by Pankaj Kapur really leaves the audience speechless.

The title track in the background adds to the intense scenes in the movie. Great song by a singer like **Sonu Nigam.

It's a low-budget film with no glamorous star cast. One man, Pankaj Kapur, is enough to portray what millions of Indians feel, in the wake of the communal riots that ripped the country. If Black Friday dared to show the truth,Dharm exposes the truth about religion that it's not about cast or creed; it's not about politics or power. It's about humanity!

*Dharm keval sadhna nahi, kartavya bhi hai.

Karm bhi hai, Ekta aur Sadbhavna hai dharm.

Bhed bhav to tyagna hai dharm.

Manavta hai Dharm.*

Overall I would say this is a must watch movie for all. A complete family movie with a lesson which will not only end with the movie, but will also leave an imprint on you.