Review Film Dharm : Do Yourself A Favour, Watch It!

Don’t know if I should encourage you to watch this film or not especially when “religion” is such a dicey subject these days. Okay let me put it this way: If you are interested in knowing what “good” cinema is all about, then go and watch debutant director Bhavna Talwar’s Pankaj Kapur starrer Dharm and you don’t even need to be religiously inclined.

Set in the holy city of Varanasi, Dharm is the story of Pandit Chaturvedi and his godly beliefs. Even in this day-n-age, when the city he resides in is in the midst of conflict between older generation and today’s, between the western influence and local politics, between Hindus and Muslims – Pandit Chaturvedi continues to live in his rigidly ritualistic world.

Some of his thoughts may agonize and twitch your own beliefs, for example when he proudly states “Without a husband, a woman has no status in the society” or allows a man from the un-touchable class to be beaten brutally by the crowd for mistakenly touching the Pandit. But still you can never get yourself to dislike him.

However an incident in Pandit Chaturvedi’s life leaves him in a cross between his age-old religious values and basic humanity. The struggle between his inner conscious and society compulsion is what Dharm is all about. And not forget the added obstacles in the form of scheming opponents and overly egoistic disciples.

Director Bhavna Talwar, I have to admit has done a fantastic job considering that this is her very first film. She beautifully captures the daily rituals of Varanasi and its Pandits; the tiny gallis (lanes), priest striding briskly with huffing disciples in tow, vibrant city colors, etc. But what’s even more commendable is her ability to pull-off a contentious topic without making it preachy or one-sided. With so many distractions, Ms. Talwar never drifts away from her main protagonist or his line of thoughts. Vibha Singh’s script never allows the characters to go over the top with their perceptions and every part blends well with the other. So till the very end you are glued to your seat, smiling at points and bawling your eyes out at others.

Actor Pankaj Kapur’s portrayal of Pandit Chaturvedi is stupendous but then this shouldn’t be surprising considering that he is undoubtly one of the finest actors in the Hindi Film Industry. Right from the Pot-bellied, bare-torso, Kapur effortlessly symbolizes religious authority, who could easily have become a caricature in lesser hands. The gradual shift from religious enlightment to fulfillment of basic human needs is dealt with sensitivity and immense compassion.

Supriya Pathak as the devoted wife to Pandit Chaturvedi and overly caring mother is just perfect in her portrayal.

To sum it all up, I would say Dharm may not end up making any difference to the never-ending communal violence in our country however it will make you want to be a better human being, sadly for many this feeling may last just for next few minutes. A soulful film and definitely a must watch.