Spoilers ahead…
The cleverest thing about Dharam Sankat Mein, directed by Fuwad Khan, is that title. The plot kicks off when Dharam Pal (Paresh Rawal), a sacred thread-wearing Brahmin in Ahmedabad, discovers he’s really a Muslim. So the obvious meaning of the title is that Dharam is in a sankat, crisis. But reduce his name to a common noun, and it means religion. Hence the other dimension of the title: religion is in a crisis. The film, thus, riffs on the many ways in which both Dharam and dharam are in trouble. Along with Dharam’s attempts to get a grip on his situation, we are given lessons on the communal madness that surrounds us. We are given glimpses of the us-versus-them distrust that exists between Hindus and Muslims. We are told what it’s like to be a member of a minority community, especially whenever there’s a terrorist attack. On the flip side, we are shown how intolerant some Muslims are, how they try to convert people from other faiths. To succeed with all this within the framework of a broad-strokes, Censor Board-friendly comedy isn’t easy. At times, you may feel a more appropriate title would have been Fuwad Khan Sankat Mein.
But first, it’s important to acknowledge the need – today, in an increasingly insane nation – for films like this one, or OMG: Oh My God! (whose DVD is visible in an early scene), or pk. These films use comic frameworks to push forward their sobering agenda – and this is the best approach. Ask Karan Johar, who mainstreamed homosexuality through comedy and did what more earnest-minded dramas like My Brother Nikhil couldn’t. Today, no one bats an eyelid when a gay character shows up on screen, and some of this acceptance has spilled over into real life too. If something similar happens with religion, thanks to these films, then more, please.
Dharam is, in the initial portions, this film’s Kantaben. Despite that sacred thread, he’s not really religious, and when his son falls for a girl whose father is a member of a godman’s cult, Dharam, discovers, like Kantaben thought she did, what it’s like to get buggered by people from the same faith. Is there anyone better than Rawal at playing the lovable cynic? Even if he’s played this role before, he’s so good that he almost convinces us his lines are funny. But they aren’t. This film’s idea of a joke is to name a psychiatrist Dr. Choonawala. Fuwad Khan has no idea how to stage comedy. There’s an attempt at a slapstick chase in an orphanage. We get a man standing in his undies when his pants are pulled down. It’s painful. There’s a bit where Dharam’s wife suspects he’s gay. A director with better instincts would have made this a running gag, letting it build before letting it explode. Here, the whole thing is resolved with a couple of lines of dialogue. I wonder if The Infidel, the British film whose adaptation this is, made these gags work.
The worst scenes are the ones in which Naseeruddin Shah plays that godman. He makes an entry more suited to Rajinikanth – on a motorbike, to the cheering of thousands of fans. But game as Shah is, this is a terribly contrived part headed in the most obvious direction – and the resolution of this subplot is an embarrassment. This is what I don’t get, whether here or in pk. Our godmen are already jokes. Every day you open the papers, and there’s some this-can’t-really-be-happening news about them. How can a movie expect to top this? How can you spoof something that already looks like a spoof?
And when it decides to get serious, Dharam Sankat Mein isn’t dramatic enough. A wonderful Annu Kapoor, who speaks as if rehearsing for a local production of Mughal-e-Azam, plays Mehmood, Dharam’s Muslim neighbour and eventual confidante. We are given the sense of a long-running feud between them, but when Dharam reveals to Mehmood that he is a Muslim, there is instant empathy. Perhaps the point is that Mehmood is so aware of what it is “to be a Muslim” that it doesn’t take much time for him to realise what it must be like for a Hindu “to be a Muslim.” Still, this doesn’t help the character, who ends up somewhat colourless, a little more than a comic sidekick, a lot less than what you’d expect from him as this film’s sole, sane Muslim.
But he does get the film’s funniest stretch, when he begins to school Dharam in the ways of his dharam. Dharam knows little about Islam, and he doesn’t know too much about Hinduism either, so he gets a Hindu tutor too. He keeps mixing up what he learns, which is just another way of saying that there’s not much difference, really, and it doesn’t – and shouldn’t – matter. That’s pretty wonderful coming from a movie whose leading man is a BJP MP.
KEY:
- Choonawala = con man
Copyright ©2015 Baradwaj Rangan. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
Rahul
April 11, 2015
Probably you already know that, but there is a third connotation of the title. “Dharam Sankat” is a dilemma that is hard to resolve – as in between the devil and the deep blue sea.
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abishek balaji
April 12, 2015
sir
if you were to direct a film,what would the story,etc be like????
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brangan
April 12, 2015
Rahul: Yes, I know that meaning too. There’s an exact Tamil equivalent as well: dharma sangadam.
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brangan
April 12, 2015
abishek balaji: Hmmm… I think it’d be about this hapless critic who thinks Mani Ratnam’s recent work represents a strong, interesting (even if not entirely successful) phase, but keeps getting bashed up for it.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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sanjana
April 12, 2015
The problem is too much political correctness and too much balancing act. And a muslim playing a hindu religious leader and a hindu playing muslim has reached dead end. HIndu muslim equation is more a political one than a religious one. These movies touch a superficial problem. If it is so simple, bihari hindus will get red carpet welcome in Maharashtra.
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Madan
April 12, 2015
If it is so simple, bihari hindus will get red carpet welcome in Maharashtra.
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Prasad
April 12, 2015
Hi BR,
“Hmmm… I think it’d be about this hapless critic who thinks Mani Ratnam’s recent work represents a strong, interesting (even if not entirely successful) phase, but keeps getting bashed up for it.”
I sense a little(?) desperation here. This brings to a interesting question. I completely respect your judgement/review of “Kadal” and Raavanan” and it is your opinion. But curious if you’re asked to write a review today of these movies would you revisit and change anything about it?
The reason I ask is have read some interesting reviews of Ebert.
It is also interesting to find some movies which are universally acclaimed maybe be thrashed by some reviewers.
Just to quote a few examples. We all know Fight Club is a Cult classic Celebrated Universally but it appears in the Worst of Ebert’s movies.
The same goes for “Usual aspects” which is universally acclaimed but thrashed by Ebert
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/fight-club-1999
He had summarized it very crisply in the below statement
“”Fight Club” is a thrill ride masquerading as philosophy–the kind of ride where some people puke and others can’t wait to get on again.” Also during the initial screening of “The Shining’ a classic by Stanley Kubrick , Ebert had lot of complaints but started liking it in subsequent viewing. Yes, some movies have a tendency to get better in multiple viewings.
Have you ever felt some movies get better in multiple viewings and some movies are like a bubble which burst in subsequent viewings? How does “Kadal ” and Raavan” fit in these perspective.
Your thoughts please.
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brangan
April 12, 2015
Prasad: Erm, that was a joke, man!
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Abhirup
April 12, 2015
How does this fare in comparison to ‘P.K.’ in your view?
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brangan
April 12, 2015
Abhirup: Oh, there’s no question “pk” is by far the better movie. There’s nothing here comparable to that wonderful stretch in the first half where pk “discovers” religion.
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Rahul
April 13, 2015
“Ask Karan Johar, who mainstreamed homosexuality through comedy and did what more earnest-minded dramas like My Brother Nikhil couldn’t. Today, no one bats an eyelid when a gay character shows up on screen, and some of this acceptance has spilled over into real life too.”
Bang on. I have argued about this with others who felt that KJo has been trivializing or making fun of gays. But he deserves a lot of credit for the incremental way in which he has “mainstreamed homosexuality” . Perhaps deserves an article.
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sanjana
April 13, 2015
The tragedy is that no one takes gays and their lives seriously but like to watch them as comic relief. Will serious gays like this attitude? My Brother Nikhil was such a beautiful film and I cant compare it with that of KJo film.
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Pady Srini
April 13, 2015
Unrelated but i didnt know where to post this general comment…LOL…
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Only-qualified-people-should-review-OK-Kanmani-Suhasini/articleshow/46903862.cms
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brangan
April 13, 2015
Pady Srini: Do post a link to the inevitable follow-up article too, about what exactly those qualifications are. Depending on which I may have a free Friday on my hands 😊
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MANK
April 13, 2015
brangan, its not as bad it sounds 😊
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brangan
April 13, 2015
MANK: Oh I guessed as much. Always some extra masala in these reports. Was just having some fun with the line 😊
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Rahini David
April 13, 2015
BR; She still did a silly thing there. She should known by now that social media is unstoppable. She has put amateur reviewers on the defensive.
BTW, congratulations you must be the official reviewer. Forget a.free weekend, you have really tough times ahead defending the undefendable.
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Pady Srini
April 13, 2015
She might have asked reporters to write first, BUT, she also says “anyone who can move a mouse, starts writing. ” And I am exactly questioning that ? Nobody in their right mind, even for the big stars with big fan following, in the social media, trashes a movie just like that. If the movie is good, the majority’s voice comes out. Especially in the case of a Mani Rathnam movie, there are no “sides” to take. The audience reaction will purely be to the quality of the movie. So why this fear against John Doe ???
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brangan
April 13, 2015
Coincidentally I wrote something about how film stars and directors should not be against criticism. Should be up on the Hindu blogs sometime this week.
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J.Sriram
April 14, 2015
“Ask Karan Johar, who mainstreamed homosexuality through comedy and did what more earnest-minded dramas like My Brother Nikhil couldn’t.”
Are you saying Karan Johar’s handling of homosexuals on screen did more than an earnest-minded drama? More of what, exactly? When a thing gets made fun of in a mainstream movie, are you saying that the fact that it got mentioned and not censored is a success? By extension then has Shankar’s ‘I’ mainstreamed transgenders?
“These films use comic frameworks to push forward their sobering agenda – and this is the best approach.”
I find it very hard to believe that helping improve the perception of gays, was on Johar’s agenda.
“Today, no one bats an eyelid when a gay character shows up on screen, and some of this acceptance has spilled over into real life too.”
Nobody? I think this is rather insensitive of you. Youngsters struggling with their identity could use with some help. A movie like My brother Nikhil speaks about them. A Karan Johar movie not only doesn’t do that, it helps them retreat further into the closet.
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Ram Murali
April 14, 2015
“Coincidentally I wrote something about how film stars and directors should not be against criticism. Should be up on the Hindu blogs sometime this week.”
–> Can’t wait to read it! Did anyone catch Vikraman’s pathetic reaction to RJ Balaji’s relatively harmless comments at an audio launch. Couldn’t believe my ears when Vikraman said something along the lines of, “Naan paaka thaan gentleman. aana, gentleman ille!”
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aparna
April 14, 2015
Agree with sanjana. It saddens me to see gays always portrayed in stereotyped comic roles. Surely no representation is better than negative portrayal that gives people a wrong impression about the community?
As always an intelligent funny perceptive review and as always so detailed that you cant read it before watching the movie. Only after watching it (too many spoilers) or if you never mean to watch it (which is ok cos the review is much better than the movie in most cases.
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brangan
April 14, 2015
sanjana and others: The point is not to compare “My Brother Nikhil” and a KJo film. The point that no one other than KJo has consistently featured gay characters in their productions, and the “mainstream” nature of these productions have helped to have more conversations about homosexuality.
The first step about anything is that it not be ignored. That, I think, has happened.
Of course, I’m not saying that KJo’s approach is not problematic. But this is a little like saying “Mardaani” doesn’t do much for women-oriented films because it shows a woman essentially being a man. The fact that it exists is the first step. Hopefully other steps will follow.
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brangan
April 14, 2015
Pady Srini: OMG, just saw the video. From your comment I thought she was being snarky about writers on the web, but she’s actually pleading here. Seriously!
But disagree with you slightly about this: Nobody in their right mind, even for the big stars with big fan following, in the social media, trashes a movie just like that
There are a lot of responsible writers on the web, but there are also a number of tweeters/FB posters who don’t take films seriously and just troll around.
Rahini David: defending the undefendable
Oh, I don’t “defend” films in my reviews. I just write about them. But you knew that, right? 😉
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Rahini David
April 14, 2015
BR: You don’t defend films, you write about them and then you have to defend what you wrote about them and then some. In fact you do it so much that it inadvertently crept into your gravatar image without your knowledge. 😀
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brangan
April 14, 2015
Rahini David: See, but I don’t think of that as defending. I think of that as having a conversation.
It’s the ongoing “book” you guys are writing: Conversations with Baradwaj Rangan 🙂
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thekomentor
April 14, 2015
I don’t think even maniratnam would approve of what suhasini said there on stage. She gave the impression of the makers not being confident about their movie. Maybe mani should use the services of anu haasan for these publicity events–she is more articulate and charming.
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Rahul
April 26, 2015
Sanjana , Aparna – My judgement is actually even more favorable towards Karan Johar than Baradwaj’s. It is not just that he has created room for gay characters\situations, he is actually easing them out from stereotypes, towards fully realized characters. And I am not even talking about Bombay Talkies, which one may argue is an outlier, as a non mainstream movie.
I will talk about two movies – KHNH and SOTY. In KHNH, the joke is actually on the Kantaben character, she is the object of ridicule for getting alarmed by what she thinks is a gay situation. As a viewer , we are encouraged to not identify with Kantaben, as she comes off as an adorable, but somewhat bumbling, elderly person who belongs to a different generation and is responding to switches that our generation is supposed to be too cool to care about. So yeah, the gay situation is played for laughs but we are laughing with the gays , not at them.
In SOTY, the Rishi Kapoor character is cartoonish to begin with , I agree. But towards the end of the movie, he is allowed to talk about his loneliness and on his deathbed he even remembers fondly about the teacher he had a crush on. In retrospect one sees him as a sympathetic character, feeling sorry for him.
I have not seen Dostana so won’t comment on it.
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aparna
April 27, 2015
Rahul, well said. You do have a point.
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