DEOOL – TEMPLE: FAITH OR BUSINESS

Hats off to Umesh-Girish Kulkarni duo who have given the Marathi audiences not only an excellent cinema but also a thought provoking take home message. The script of the movie revolves around the transformation of a remote village into a commercial PILGRIMAGE by exploiting the faith (blind?) of the masses. Alongwith the central theme, many other sensitive social issues like political hypocrisy at grass root level, rubber stamp image of women in Indian politics, nuisance value of unemployed village youth are also subtly dealt.

By inculcating, flourishing, propagating and commercializing the blind faith towards GOD, the small undeveloped village gets economically uplifted in its basic amenities like electricity, roads, transportation and a secured income source to the villagers. Whether upliftment of villages by this path is acceptable is a question raised to the audiences by the duo who has very well maintained their non judgmental status quo.

Believing in GOD is one thing but blindly believing or following anything; then may it be a GOD or A RELIGION is silly and irrational. Faith in GOD does not demand any showcase, advertising or marketing. We all have grown up by listening to the old sayings like, ‘A PURE MIND IS A TEMPLE OF GOD’ or ‘SERVE YOUR PARENTS AND THY SERVE THE GOD’. Have our old simple teachings of life become so feeble that we helplessly follow something out of fear and not faith??? Or have we mastered the art of bribing GOD for securing ourselves and our family ones??? Is this how we relate our god fearing nature???? If this is so then we can’t blame the persons who have exploited the religious sentiments and changed TEMPLES of GOD into business franchises. We are the ones who should be blamed.

So let us take this movie as a chance to introspect ourselves and get us more clear and firm to distinguish between FAITH and FEAR and eradicate all the malpractices run under the banner of GOD.