The Nationwide United Christian Discussion board (NUCF), a joint platform of India’s 3 greatest Christian our bodies representing the Church in India, has strongly condemned the discharge of ‘Sanatani – Karma hello Dharma’, an Odia movie that opened in theatres on February 7, 2025, amid rising controversy over its portrayal of spiritual conversion in Odisha.
In a strongly worded press free up, the NUCF, which brings in combination the Catholic Bishop’s Convention of India (CBCI), Nationwide Council of Church buildings in India (NCCI), and Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), mentioned that the movie “derogatorily portrays Jesus Christ, Christians and Christian services and products, distorting the picture of Jesus, key sides of Christian doctrine, in particular the sacrament of Baptism, and misrepresenting conversion as a criminality”.
The debate surrounding the movie has been brewing since past due January, when its trailer sparked issues about its depiction of tribal conversions and land appropriation. The Christian group in Kandhamal had in the past appealed to Leader Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to halt the movie’s free up, expressing fears about possible communal rigidity.
The movie’s adventure to the displays has been marked via regulatory hurdles. To start with denied certification via the Central Board of Movie Certification’s (CBFC) regional administrative center in Cuttack, the manufacturers secured a UA certification from CBFC’s Mumbai administrative center after converting the movie’s name from ‘Hi there Ram: Karma Hello Dharma’ to its present identify and enforcing sure edits.
Prison makes an attempt to stop the movie’s free up have been unsuccessful when the Orissa Top Courtroom, led via Performing Leader Justice Arindam Sinha and Justice M S Sahoo, refused to grant a keep order regardless of two petitions bringing up issues about public order. The courtroom has stored the subject pending for additional attention on February 19, in the hunt for responses from each the Union and state governments.
The movie’s manufacturer, Bijay Kandoi, and lead actor Sambit Acharya have defended the manufacturing. Acharya maintains that whilst non secular conversion is the movie’s central theme, it doesn’t goal any particular faith however fairly depicts “truth”. The movie is these days appearing in 15 theatres throughout Odisha.
The NUCF’s remark in particular emphasized the constitutional sides of spiritual freedom, noting that “the suitable to freedom of faith, together with the suitable of a citizen to transform to any faith of selection, is enshrined within the Charter of India, and any try to undermine this elementary proper is unconstitutional”.
The discussion board additionally highlighted the ancient context of spiritual violence in Odisha, regarding “the agonizing historical past of atrocities and violence confronted via Christian communities” within the state. They warned that the movie may “perpetuate false narratives, incite hatred and violence amongst non violent communities within the area”.
The debate extends past Odisha, with the NUCF drawing consideration to fresh incidents of spiritual violence in Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh. The organisation criticised what it termed as “the failure of Govt machineries to make sure security and safety of minorities”.
Whilst acknowledging the significance of freedom of expression, the NUCF has known as upon government to interfere and forestall the movie’s screening, arguing that such freedom should be exercised with warning to stop the concentrated on of any group or religion. The discussion board has appealed to the federal government, civil society, and the general public to handle peace and cohesion within the area.
The movie, directed via Basudev Bard, additionally addresses different social problems corresponding to witchcraft, in line with its creators, although the talk has basically centred on its remedy of spiritual conversion.
