Critic’s Rating : 2 Star.

Cast: Paresh Rawal, Naseeruddin Shah, Annu Kapoor, Auritra Ghosh

Direction: Fuwad Khan

Producer: Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, Sajjad Chunawala, Shariq Patel

Written: David Baddiel

Genre: Drama.

Duration: 2 Hours 10 Minutes

Close on the heels of PK comes another film to invalidate religion and lay bare its hollowness. Dharam Sankat Mein is a timely affair albeit a stretched one, with a premise that stays true to the British comedy The Infidel.



Ahmedabadi caterer Dharampal Trivedi (Paresh Rawal) seems like a page out of OMG’s characterisation, with his non-adherence to customs but also a shade more communal against his Muslim neighbour, Nawab Mehmood Nazeem Ali Shah Khan Bahadur (Annu Kapoor), a mouthful which will lend the film a punchline or two. His prejudice changes with a shift in circumstances when he realises that he is Muslim by birth. His father is alive and housed in the Khwaja Garib Nawaz Sanatorium, where the Imam in charge (Murli Sharma, incredible) will only let him enter when Dharampal has adopted the ways and the regalia of a devout Muslim.

It is a tall order, especially when Dharampal’s wife and children are dedicated followers (in varying degrees) of Baba Neelanand (Naseeruddin Shah), who makes his swashbuckling entrances to his gatherings either on a motorcycle or emerging from a giant lotus. He also spouts aphorisms like “Tum mujhe zeher do, main tumhe anand doonga”, to paraphrase Netaji’s call for arms.



Trapped between the two sides of skewed notions and unquestioning dogma, Dharam must keep his new-found religious identity a secret from his family, find a way to see his father and embrace Baba Neelanand’s principles so that his son can impress his prospective in-laws.

A great concept, undone by repetition, one pro-community speech at a time.

Dharam Sankat Mein tries too hard to browbeat the audience on the mutual camaraderie between the leads, which is natural to begin with, but acquires a stilted manner with a loud background score and dialogue of mutual victimization. The characters are likeable without the additional filmi trappings.



Naseeruddin Shah and Annu Kapoor make a religious switch in casting and pull it off with aplomb. Paresh Rawal, with a second film under his belt on debunking religion, is endearing without rehashing the OMG mode. The film is guilty of dragging on, with scenes like Dharampal’s conversation with God at the temple and the courtroom scene lacking the bite needed for the genre. Punjab cinema’s Gippy Grewal has a special appearance as Manjit Manchala which does not tie in too neatly with the story. The irony lies in the film’s unoriginal sermonising against religious preaching.

Well-intended, if not well-executed, Dharam Sanket Mein is a one-time watch over a DVD for fans wanting an encore to OMG. Do not expect the same calibre and you will not be entirely disappointed.