Movie Analysis - Dharm

Semiotic analysis of the film ‘Dharm’ The story line of the film ‘Dharm’ follows the life of Pandit Chaturvedi, a highly respected, learned and religious Brahmin, who lives with his wife Parvathi and daughter Vedika, in Benares. His life takes an unexpected turn after he adopts an abandoned baby boy (who was brought into the house by his daughter) and raises him as his own son. The boy, who is named Karthikey, fills Pandit Chaturvedi’s life with joy and happiness. However, this happiness is short lived for Karthikey’s mother returns. It is at this point that Pandit Chaturvedi realizes that he had been bringing up a Muslim boy as a Brahmin. The family is forced by religion to turn the boy away and Panditji spends much of his time trying to purify his soul, which he believes was contaminated after coming in contact with a Muslim. However, a Hindu- Muslim riot in Benares brings the child back to Panditji’s life. The chaos and turmoil caused by the riot forces the Panditji to question his belief on ‘Dharm’ and paves way to his understanding of the true meaning of religion.
Religion, mainly Hinduism, is given the maximum emphasis in this film. This emphasis is done mainly by setting the story in Benares, which is known as a city that upholds Hinduism. The scenes showing Pandit Chaturvedi offering prayers to the Sun God along with his disciples, the sages present near the Ganges river, the rituals performed by Panditji’s family as well as Suryaprakash’s family, the Panditji quoting verses from the Vedas as well as the Bhagwat Geeta denote Hinduism.
The viewer is introduced to issues like caste system and untouchability, which exist in our country. This is first shown in the scene when the sweeper, who accidently touches Pandit Chaturvedi, is beaten up by people. In this particular scene, the viewer feels that the Panditji would step in and save the sweeper from getting beaten up. However, the viewer is left disappointed for Panditji turns a blind eye to the