धर्मात्मा

RGV's Sarkar begins with the director admitting to being deeply influenced by The Godfather like countless directors all over the world. Feroz Khan's Dharmatma marks the beginning of this obsession with Indian film-makers. Given the exalted status of The Godfather with nearly every cinema buff and the fact that adaptations in the Indian milieu have resulted in films like Nayakan and Parinda, I thought Dharmatma was worth a watch. Having watched it, I've to say that despite the patchy feel of the film, there are items of interest here and noteworthy too.

Foremost among them is the portion of the film that plays out in Afghanistan (a first for Indian cinema). Hema Malini (as an Afghan clanswoman named Reshma !), Danny Denzongpa and Feroz Khan spice up this sequence that is remarkably well shot by any standards (Buzkashi) and lingers long after the viewing. Premnath in the title role is the other interesting aspect of the film. I'd seen him in Bobby but little else. His portrayal here is just as interesting in its angst and justification for the means he adopts as is the employment of matka (an Indian form of gambling). That it isn't expanded upon is more to do with the way the script handles the character.

Apart from these, the viewing also made me think about the meaning of the word adaptation in the cinematic idiom. When one is besotted with an original, how does one strike a balance between faithful recreation and assuming creative license ? Even more valid is the question - how does one identify the aspects of the original that may not be acceptable to the target audience of the adaptation ? For Feroz Khan in this film shares very little with Michael Corleone and undergoes a transformation so minimal in that his fundamentals are hardly shaken by the turn of events. In an act of complete dilution, he is also spared the moral dilemma of having to plan the demise of his brother-in-law too.

This is Feroz Khan's best ever movie where everyone and everything was absolutely top notch. Be it the acting, direction screenplay,music,dialogues or editing everything was brilliant.

Feroz Khan is the pioneer of stylishly made films in Hindi cinema 9/10.

Seth Dharamdas (Premnath) is a rich and powerful man who uses his wealth to help those around him. However, his son Ranbir (Feroz khan) is determined to expose his dark past as a gangster.

Feroz Khan lends his inimitable mix of west and east style in this 1970's actioner that is inspired by the Godfather, funnily a film I don't like; of course, Dharmatma is Bollywoodized with the added melodrama, melodious songs, strained relationships between father and son, and desi violence, which gives this an enticing lure. The story execution is solid, the imagery is strong, especially of Hema's demise and Iftekhar's demise (poor windscreen). The acting is great all round with Premnath taking centre-stage as the Dharmatma and Feroz Khan plays his son who rebels with his father's ways. But it's Farida Jalal and imitiaz khan who steal the scenes.

An excellent adaptation of the 1972 Hollywood movie 'Godfather' to Bollywood standards, including its title in Hindi. It has been perfectly Indianised with its melodrama. It has excellent music by Kalyanji Anandji with melodious songs. Feroz Khan has acted beyond expectations equally supported by both the heroines Hema Malini & Rekha. Has mega locations of Afghanistan, reminding one of the western cowboy movies. The movie keeps one engrossed right from the beginning till the end, there isn't any dull moment. This movie can easily figure in one's must-see list. Each and every character has been appropriately casted beginning with Premnath as 'Dharmatma'. Worth watching any day.

Dharmatma (1975) : Brief Review -

This first-ever Indian adaptation of "The Godfather" actually makes things more accessible for Hindi audiences. Feroz Khan was heavily inspired by Hollywood flicks, mostly gangster flicks and Western flicks. You'll find many more adaptations and references in his filmography, but can you believe that he actually managed to pull The Godfather's adaptation in 1975, just a year after The Godfather's sequel? I still believe The Godfather is difficult to understand for mainstream Hindi audiences even today. Then let's just assume that the 70s audiences who were growing up with typical masala movies couldn't understand it properly. Those artistic references, dark theme, and heavily intense narrative-everything was new even for Hollywood audiences, then forget about Indian audiences. Feroz Khan picked the soul of The Godfather and put it in a desi body. It's much simpler and more accessible than the original, that is, for Indian audiences. He also gives a nice touch of patriotism to the main hero's character, as you see him giving up everything in the end. His main motive was revenge, not greed or money. That's the biggest strength of Dharmatma. We Indians can't really fall for the characters like Vito and Michael. We need sympathetic gestures and emotional boundings, which Dharmatms gets right. The past romance of Ranbir, i.e., Reshma, is sweet too. You get two memorable songs: "kya Khoob Lagti Ho" and "Tere Chehre Mein Wo Jadoo Hai." Hema Malini looks so gorgeous, and even Rekha plays such a cute character. Feroz Khan nails it as an actor, and Prem Nath as Dharmatma was nothing like Vito but far more localized and grounded. The supporting cast has also done well. Khan's direction is also good, actually much better than his acting. Overall, if you love The Godfather as a Hindi cinema audience, then you got to love Dharmatma.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest.