Dharm (film)

Last updated

Dharm
Dharm.gif
Movie poster for Dharm
Directed by Bhavna Talwar
Written by Varun Gautam
Vibha Singh
Starring Pankaj Kapoor
Hrishitaa Bhatt
Supriya Pathak
Pankaj Tripathi
Daya Shankar Pandey
K.K.Raina
Edited bySteven Bernard
Release date
  • 8 June 2007 (2007-06-08)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

Dharm ('Religion') is a 2007 Hindi film directed by Bhavna Talwar, starring Pankaj Kapoor and Supriya Pathak in lead roles. This is the debut film of the director, [1] it addresses the theme of communal harmony. Most of it is shot in Varanasi.

Contents

At the 2007 National Film Award, it won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. [2] The film was premiered in the Tous Les Cinemas du Monde (World Cinema) section of 2007 Cannes Film Festival. [3] [4]

Plot

The story is based in Benares and is about Pandit Chaturvedi (Pankaj Kapoor), a highly revered and learned Brahmin priest. A baby is abandoned by a woman and brought to his house by his daughter. He agrees to adopt the child due to requests from his wife Parvati (Supriya Pathak) and his daughter Vedika (Ananya Tripathi). Life takes a turn when the boy's mother returns and says that she lost her child during the communal riots. After the family finds out that the boy is Muslim after they have become attached to him. The family gives back the boy to his mother. Chaturvedi engulfs himself in purification processes to cleanse his body, mind, and soul due to contact with a Muslim soul. By the time Chaturvedi thinks he is fully purified, the child reappears; seeking refuge, due to Hindu-Muslim riots and a group of people chasing a Muslim man to slay. This is when Chaturvedi realizes the true meaning of scriptures, that the true religion is humanity. The movie ends with a message of communal harmony that "Dharm is not just penance and practice, Dharm is unity, Dharm is brotherhood, Dharm is non-violent."

Critical reception

Dharma was premiered [5] at the 60th Cannes Film Festival and became the closing film of the World Cinema Section at the festival; it was also the official Indian entry to the Festival. [1] It was screened at 38th International Film Festival of India (2007), in Goa, and later went to film festivals like the Cancun Film Festival, Mexico; Asian Festival of First Films, Singapore; and the Palms Spring Festival, California. [6] The film was awarded the Swarovski Trophy for Best Film at the Asian Festival of First Films. [7]

At home, though it wasn't a box office success, it opened to excellent reviews from the critics [8] and later the world rights of the film were acquired by Films Distribution, France. [9]

Dharm was embroiled in a controversy in India, where it became one of the finalists for India's official entry to the Oscars, a race it lost to Eklavya: The Royal Guard . [10]

Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pankaj Kapur</span> Indian actor (b. 1954)

Pankaj Kapur is an Indian actor who has worked in Hindi theatre, television and films. Recipient of a Filmfare Award and three National Film Awards, his most acclaimed film roles include that of Inspector P.K. in Raakh (1989), Dr. Dipankar Roy in Ek Doctor Ki Maut (1991) and Abba ji in Maqbool (2004), the latter based on Shakespeare's King Duncan in Vishal Bhardwaj's adaptation of Macbeth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supriya Pathak</span> Indian actress (born 1961)

Supriya Pathak Kapur is an Indian actress who works in Gujarati and Hindi films and television. She garnered widespread recognition and acclaim with her portrayal of Hansa Parekh in the Khichdi franchise. She has received several awards including a Filmfare OTT Award and three Filmfare Awards. She also featured in the hit TV serial Idhar Udhar in the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IIFA Award for Best Actress</span> International Indian Film Academy Award

The IIFA Award for Best Actress is given by the International Indian Film Academy as part of its annual award ceremony for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The recipient is chosen by viewers and the winner is announced at the ceremony. The most recent recipient is Rani Mukerji who won her record-tying fourth Best Actress award for Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor</span> International Indian Film Academy Award

The IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor recognizes a male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. The award is chosen by the viewers and the winner is announced at the ceremony. Saif Ali Khan, Arjun Rampal, Anil Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan are leading with 2 wins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hrishitaa Bhatt</span> Indian actress and model (born 1981)

Hrishitaa Bhatt, also spelled as Hrishita Bhat, is an Indian actress and model. She debuted in the film Asoka (2001) opposite Shah Rukh Khan, but it was Haasil (2003) that brought her fame. Bhatt received critical acclaim for the role and appeared in films like Ab Tak Chhappan (2004) and Jigyaasa (2006), thereafter. Bhatt was part of the ensemble cast of the ZEE5 cop drama web series, Lalbazaar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Excel Entertainment</span> Indian production company

Excel Entertainment is an Indian production company, founded by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar in Mumbai in 1999. They mainly produce Hindi films.

Bhavna Talwar is an Indian film director. Her debut film, Dharm (2007), won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration at the 2007 National Film Award. It was also the closing film at the World Cinema Section at the Cannes Film Festival 2007 and was nominated for the Gucci Awards at Venice. Her second feature film Happi, was described as an “exquisite black-and-white homage to the great Charlie Chaplin - India’s only genuine tribute to the genius of Charlie Chaplin”

<i>Om Namah Shivay</i> (1997 TV series) Indian mythological television series

Om Namah Shivay is an Indian television series that aired on DD National based on the Shiva Purana. The series is presumably named after the mantra Om Namah Shivaya.

<i>Mausam</i> (2011 film) 2011 film by Pankaj Kapur

Mausam (transl. Season) is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film written and directed by Pankaj Kapur under the Vistaar Religare Film Fund banner. The film stars Shahid Kapoor opposite Sonam Kapoor. The film was originally scheduled to release on 16 September 2011, but due to the delay in obtaining the NOC from the Indian Air Force, it was pushed back further by a week, releasing on 23 September 2011.

<i>Happi</i> (film) 2010 film directed by Bhavna Talwar

Happi is a Hindi-language film directed by Bhavna Talwar and produced by Vistaar Film Fund & WSG Pictures. The film, made in black-and-white, stars Pankaj Kapoor, and is an homage to Charlie Chaplin as per the director. Pankaj Kapoor plays the part of a Chaplin-esque character. After being stuck in development hell, the film was released on ZEE5 on 25 December 2019.

<i>Bhaiaji Superhit</i> 2018 Indian film

Bhaiaji Superhit is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Neerraj Pathak and produced by Chirag Dhariwal. The film features an ensemble cast including Sunny Deol, Preity G Zinta, Arshad Warsi, Ameesha Patel and Shreyas Talpade. This film marked Zinta's comeback to films after a 5-year hiatus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pankaj Tripathi</span> Indian actor (born 1976)

Pankaj Tripathi born as Pankaj Tiwari, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi films and series. He is the recipient two National Film Awards, an IIFA and a Filmfare Award. After studying acting at the National School of Drama, Tripathi had minor roles in such films as Omkara (2006), Shaurya (2008) and Agneepath (2012), and had a supporting role in the television series Powder (2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phantom Studios</span> Indian film production and distribution company

Phantom Studios is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Madhu Mantena, Anurag Kashyap, Vikas Bahl, and Vikramaditya Motwane. It was founded in 2011 by all four of them, and was cited as the "directors' company". In March 2015, Reliance Entertainment picked up 50% stake in the company.

<i>Kamla Ki Maut</i> 1989 Indian film

Kamla Ki Maut is a 1989 Hindi drama film directed by Basu Chatterjee. The film set in Mumbai, deals with issue of love, pre-marital sex and relationships in modern India. It stars Pankaj Kapoor, Supriya Pathak, Roopa Ganguly, Irrfan, Mrinal Kulkarni, Asha Lata, Ashutosh Gowariker.

<i>Masaan</i> 2015 film

Masaan is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language independent drama film starring Richa Chadda and Vicky Kaushal in lead roles. It is Kaushal's debut Hindi film, and also the directorial debut of Neeraj Ghaywan. It is an Indo-French co-production by Drishyam Films, Macassar Productions, Phantom Films, Sikhya Entertainment, Arte France Cinema and Pathé Productions.

Mirzapur is an Indian action crime thriller streaming television series created for Amazon Prime Video, by Karan Anshuman, who wrote the script along with Puneet Krishna & Vineet Krishna. Anshuman directed the first season of the series, along with Aditya mohanty and Mihir Desai, the latter of whom directed the second season. The series is produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar of Excel Entertainment. The story follows Akhandanand “Kaleen” Tripathi, a crime boss and businessman who is the proverbial ruler of Mirzapur district in the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh state in India.

<i>Mimi</i> (2021 Hindi film) 2021 Indian comedy drama film

Mimi is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language comedy drama film directed by Laxman Utekar and produced by Dinesh Vijan of Maddock Films. A remake of the 2011 Marathi film Mala Aai Vhhaychy!, it stars Kriti Sanon in the eponymous lead who opts to be a surrogate mother for a foreign couple. Pankaj Tripathi, Sai Tamhankar, Manoj Pahwa, Supriya Pathak, Evelyn Edwards, and Aidan Whytock appear in supporting roles.

References

  1. 1 2 Soundtrack of Cannes Fest entry 'Dharm' launched entertainment.oneindia, Thursday, 17 May 2007
  2. ↑ "55th NATIONAL FILM AWARDS FOR THE YEAR 2007" (PDF). Press Information Bureau (Govt. of India).
  3. ↑ Preview: Acceptance in Cannes bestows prestige and honour Archived 2012-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Cannes, India celebrate 60 years
  5. ↑ Cannes World Premiere for Bhavna Talwar’s Dharm screenindia, The Indian Express Group, 4 May 2007.
  6. ↑ Bhavna Talwar’s Dharm to be screened at the IFFI-2007 merinews, 16 November 2007
  7. ↑ "Awards for Dharm (2007)". Internet Movie Database . Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  8. ↑ Dharm - Movie Review Archived 2007-12-17 at the Wayback Machine IndiaFM, Friday, 8 June 2007.
  9. ↑ Bhavna Talwar, Creative Director Archived 2008-10-06 at the Wayback Machine wsgpictures
  10. ↑ "India's entry to Oscars caught in a legal tangle". Reuters India . 29 September 2007. Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 14 November 2007.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.