Religion

Synopsis

The movie is about a Hindu priest Pandit Chaturvedi (Pankaj Kapur) who is one of the most highly respected priests in the entire city of Varanasi. A man who lives for his religion, soaked in years of ancient traditions, values and morals. He is a strict, yet lovable man. As any real priest would, Chaturvedi believes he is a disciple of God on this earth to spread God’s message and love as he goes about his rigidly ritualistic world of pooja’s and teachings. One day his daughter brings home an infant (Krish Parekh) and the mother of the infant has disappeared and cannot be found nowhere. Pandit Chaturvedi is hesitant to have the child around the house at first, and when it’s confirmed that the child has been abandoned, he then makes the decision that the child will be raised in the local orphanage. However the Pandit’s wife Parvati (Supriya Pathak Kapur) has by now developed a soft spot for the young child and requests her husband if they can keep and raise the child if as their own. Hesitant at first, the priest reluctantly agrees as his wife lies to him that the baby is the son of a Brahmin. Slowly, the child wins over everyone hearts in the house including Pandit Chaturvedi who finds a son, a disciple and a best friend in the child. The story takes a turn when the baby’s mother returns to claim him back, and much to the shock of Pandit Chaturvedi, the lady is a Muslim. The child who they’d fondly named Karthik is in fact Mustafa. Pandit Chaturvedi is in a state of shock and utter despair as he feels he has done the biggest sin of his life and feel as if he has betrayed his religion and more-so God. In a state of recluse and regret, Pandit Chaturvedi decides to take a series of different vows and “vraths” to clear his conscience. However whilst his mind is telling him he has done a grave sin, his heart sorely misses his little son, and the words “babuji” echo in every corridor of the house. In a series of events, riots break out in the city of Varanasi, Mustafa’s mum begs and pleads the Pandit and his family to take back the little boy as he is much safer with them. However the doors of the house are closed for the little boy. What follows next can only be only described as a journey as Pandit Chaturvedi defies what he has believed his entire life if “religion” and listens to his inner conscience in the rousing finale.