Raj Chakraborty’s ‘Dharmajuddha’ addresses the alarming state of communal tension

Raj Chakraborty’s ‘Dharmajuddha’ is finally gearing up for its release. The much-delayed socio-political drama which speaks of communal tension will hit the big screens on August 11 ahead of Independence Day. The film, with an ensemble casting of Swatilekha Sengupta, Ritwick Chakraborty, Subhashree Ganguly, Parno Mittra, and Soham, was expected to release earlier in January but it got postponed.

The plot revolves around a small town of Ismailpur, which suffers an apocalyptic night as the town descends to anarchy when a sudden communal riot breaks out. Four victims, rivals to each other, take shelter in an old woman’s home, who awaits her son’s arrival. Conflicts break out within the four members as the outside anxiety grips all of them, with the old woman playing the role of a pacifier throughout the fateful night. As dawn cracks, the four members are met with conscience as the old woman’s crestfallen truth unravels upon them; thus bringing upon the realisation that humanity is the foremost religion.

As we have seen in the trailer, ‘Dharmajuddha’ seems to be a brave attempt by Raj, especially in the context of the rise of fundamentalism in the country. The film also promises to show how marginalised people from lower economic backgrounds can be brainwashed into communal ideologies by fundamentalists.