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Dharam |
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| Movie: | Dharam |
| Director: | Bhavna Talwar |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Start Cast: |
Pankaj Kapur, Supriya Pathak Kapur, Hrishita Bhatt, Daya Shankar Pandey, Pankaj Tripathi |
| Our Rating: | **** |
| Review By: | Bedika |
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 'Dharam' is not a movie it is a vision which softly unfolds on the screen. It does not try to preach but you automatically tend to learn about life with its beautiful theme. It is very difficult to put Dharam in any category because it is higher than the categories. 'Dharam' as the name suggests is related to religion. The subject becomes important when people are being killed in the name of religion. Does religion mean hatred, violence and bloodbath or love, peace and harmony? 'Dharam' tries to find out these basic answers. The movie with its serious subject and simplicity of presentation is outstanding, and the credit for making this spectacular masterpiece goes to Bhawana Talwar and her team, because every sphere of the movie has a rhythm and poetic beauty.
'Dharam' is the story of Pandit Chaturvedi (Pankaj Kapur) who is the highest priest in Varanasi living with his wife Savitri (Suchitra Pathak) and daughter Vedika Pandit Chaturvedi has read all the scriptures of Hindu religion and spends his life accordingly. This is why he has no qualms in accepting the secondary position of certain castes and women in Hindu religion. The change comes in his life when his daughter brings an orphan child home. Initially, he hesitates to keep the child but accepts it when his wife assures that the child is a Brahmin. Slowly this child enters in his world and in his heart. The child starts to follows him like a shadow and learns rituals and mantras from him. But when Pandit Chaturvedi comes to know that the child is a Muslim boy, his beautifully crafted world of religion crumbles. He cleans his house and body with Ganges water to purify, but he is helpless when it comes to his heart where child has made a permanent place. Soon the fire of communal violence starts and Chaturvedi realises that the child who was everything for him may die in the ongoing hatred. But his religion stops him to accept a child of different religion. As a religious man he once again turns to the scriptures and therein finds the true meaning of religion.
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 Pankaj Kapur is a superb and a very authentic character of Pandit Chaturvedi. His methodical acting has once again proved that when it comes to acting no one can match him in the current Bollywood brigade. Suchitra Pathak compliments him in the role of his wife. Apart from these two actors Daya Sankar Pandey in the role of Satya Prakash has done justice to his negative role. The little boy in the role of Pandit Chaturvedi's son is adorable. Hrishita Bhatt is impressive with her small deglamorized image. The most beautiful aspects of the movie are the script, screenplay and dialogues. The script captures every element of the city which is moving through a transition period where Pandit Chaturvedi sticks to his rituals and scriptures of the age old religion. He has no time to pause and think about his convictions and their validities, while the world around him is changing very fast. In the changing world religion is another name to earn money and spread hatred to fulfill the lust for power. The transformation of Pandit Chaturvedi from an inhuman ritualistic and blind follower of religion to the enlightened man has been captured beautifully. The dialogues are short and thankfully they have no Hinglish words to spoil the authenticity of the movie. They are in chaste and well woven in the narration.
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 Music is another achievement of the movie. We get to see a new Sonu Nigam with the mesmerising recital of 'Jago' and ' Bhaee Bhor' The song is his greatest accomplishment after 'Kal Ho Naa Ho'. The song is always in the background and appears occasionally to give an entirely new essence to the story. Sanskrit mantras have been beautifully blended with the songs. 'Naina Tumhi Ko Dhekhe' and 'Piya Bole' are other melodious songs of the movie. Bhawana Talwar has created a beautiful masterpiece, the ancient city has never appeared so vibrant and colourful in any movie, right from the sunrise and sunsets and their colourful reflection in the river Ganges to the ghats and narrow lanes of the city, everything has been captured as beautifully as one could. Various moods and colours of Varanasi come live on screen. 'Dharam' is one great achievement of Indian cinema and every great movie lover should go and watch it. |
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