From the makers of “Oh My God” proclaimed the trailer of the movie under review. It promised a whole new way of looking at religion - the favourite theme of this particular franchise. The length of the film also gave ample scope for sizing up another aspect that director Fowad Khan highlights. In 129 minutes, “Dharam Sankat men” looked like a fresh fare but half-way loses the essence of explaining beyond symbols and religious rituals despite a swashbuckling starkest - Paresh Racal, Naseeruddin Shah, Anu Kapoor and Murli Sharma.
The story is credible though. DharampalTrivedi (Paresh Rawal) is a devoted Hindu without the devoutness, he questions rituals and dogmas of every religion but harbours ill-will against muslims. “You muslims are responsible for…” that kind of stuff. His family, on the other hand, follows Neelanand Swami (Naseeruddin Shah) and his cult religion. Charm’s son is in love with the daughter of one of Neelanand’s ardent followers. The deal is that Dharam should become more religious and fall in line with the family’s veneration of the Swami’s Satsangs and paraphernalia so that his son’s marriage with that girl can happen, with the blessings of the Swami. But a life-altering dilemma strikes Dharampal as he goes to the bank to open the locker of his deceased mother as a nominee - an earth-shattering news awaits him in an adoption certificate there which says he is first born a muslim. He finds his biological father’s name is Mir Shoukat Ali, he goes to the orphanage and confirms that and goes to the Imam (Murali Sharma) to request a meeting with his real father. The Imam says that is possible only if he shows up as a “true” muslim in attire and spirit - he wants to convert him, in fact. Only one man helps Dharampal in his endeavours to learn the muslim culture, the tehzeeb and the rich Urdu and the fundamentals of religion - Sheikh….Ahsaan…Bahadur (the full name reads like an address, says Dharampal on his first meeting over a tiff). Played brilliantly by Anu Kapoor, he is Dharam’s neighbour and a lawyer driving vintage car. He becomes a close confidante and a friend to Dharampal and eventually moves a petition against Imam to allow Dharam to meet his biological father. Will he meet him? Will his son eventually marry the girl of his choice? What happens to Naseeruddin Shah - Neelanand Swami? Is there a happy ending? Find out.
Despite a treatment that is light on content but deeply contemplative, Fowad Khan pulls off a decent attempt at showcasing some of the core issues of religion and the ways in which we process it in our lives. Dharam gives a damn about religion whether his adopted one or the one followed by his biological father but makes a quantum shift in paradigm once he finds he is not in majority but in minority. And he cares a damn about the rituals forced upon him by a stubborn Imam. Anu Kapoor is a liberal at heart - he understands the pangs of being singled out for all the troubles caused by the terrorists - but he confronts an Imam who is denying Dharam his most basic legal and fundamental right to meet his real father. Imam played with precision and dignity by Murali Sharma is one who never questions religion but loves to convert - a banality poignantly highlighted. Naseeruddin Shah, plays the most frivolous character of a Swami out to parley in worldly pleasures by enacting the blind faith of a mass followership. Parish Rawal’s family shows a modern generation that is trapped sometimes in devoutness without reasons to question the status quo or the not-so-inscrutable Swamis. In as many characters as above, director Fowad Khan shows balance, dexterity and restraint in highlighting issues which are gaining more importance than primary issues of humanitarianism and broad-mindedness among India’s teeming multi-religious society. From Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis, Christians, Muslims and Hindus, there are thousands of symbols across India’s billions. No doubt, this movie is a move in the right direction - attempting a broader understanding of religion amidst growing skepticism and uneasiness with each other. But the movie meanders after the search for the real father ends. And then it becomes an exercise in symbols and rituals.
Fowad loses a great opportunity to explain the singularity of all religions by explaining the rationale for rituals - there are enough films that explain the scientific logic behind Hindu symbols but he could have explained how sitting in the Namaz postures is helping millions of Muslims to be free from Arthritis - a fact based on new studies. Things like that are missed opportunities but you rarely get a subject as engrossing and intelligent as this. In throwing new searchlights on the psyche of some Hindus and Muslims, director has shown great sense of taste and some humour in highlighting starkness of contrast but he could have used to increase the similarity too. Coming back to the Namaz and the serene recitals, he could have explained the tenets and the logic behind some of the rituals. And the singularity with say a Namaz and a Surya Namaskar. That would have been a game-changer. By over-stressing on the restless imperative of the hero Paresh Rawal keen to meet his biological father, a lot of meat has been given up. The produce, Viacom, however must be congratulated for selecting a good story with ample scope for imaginative screenplay and deepening our understanding of one of the most mystical religions in the world. It has opened a big door in building brotherhood between Hindus and Muslims but the door is still half-open because the director skirted many issues which require exposition beyond symbols and rituals. In that sense, “Oh My God” was more broad-based and philosophically satisfying because it goes beyond one or two religions. Another limitation of the film is the desperation of Paresh to meet his father - the justification to see him was neither amplified nor shared with his family. Why bother so much, one wonders - Steve Jobs never went back to his biological parents and so are millions of babies who grow up to be fine men and women in neighbourhoods far removed from the roots of the original religion. People just move on in life, in case Fowad Khan doesn’t know. The subject of this film is narrow in its coverage and hence interpretations had to be narrower but the treatment is something that could have been far more satisfying. Music by a team of four composers has a soulful appeal. Production values look great and dialogues are both hard-hitting and evocative they are, thankfully not provocative which is a great achievement for a film of this dimension. The movie deserves an above-average rating for the efforts to open a big door. Hopefully, this will not be the last film on such themes because as a society, as a multi-cultural society, we need more such film-makers to talk turkey about issues that must pave way for conflict-resolution and broader understanding. Parish Rawal is outstanding yet again in a role carried consummate ease - he shows his wry sense of humor, his caliber and he carries the film on his shoulders. Anu Kapoor, the most-knowledgeable Anthyakshari anchor in Indian Television history uplifts an ordinary role into an extra-ordinary performance. The way he pronounces the multi-nuanced language of Urdu will make even Urdu University professors fall of their chairs. Those two scenes of verbal judo between him and Paresh Racal are worth it all. Mural Sharma, finally gets a role that will win many hearts. As an Imam with an attitude of a Madarassa out to convert the first man in, he pulls off an impactful role that delivers. Naseeruddin Shah is a character that is frivolous but not endearing in the way he is portrayed - as a clown, nothing more, nothing less. It is good that his autobiography which came last year will never make a mention of such roles, even in future editions - it is a forgettable role and unbefitting of his stature. The movie is watchable once but the last twenty minutes bore you with an over-kill. But the title is a killer - the dilemma of "Dharam".
Rating: 3/5
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