Bishops of Christian Churches across India have jointly condemned a film, saying it derogatorily portrays their religion and faith in the language of an Indian eastern Indian state having a history of anti-Christian violence.
The movie Sanatani—Karma hi Dharma, made in the Odia language of Odisha state, was released in cinemas on Feb. 7, despite calls from Christians and other secular groups to stop it.
The movie “misrepresents religious conversion as a criminal activity, undermining the freedom of religion,” said the National United Christian Forum.
The forum of Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, and Evangelical bishops also accused the movie of distorting “key aspects of Christian doctrine.”
The bishops said the movie, set in the background of tribal villages, can potentially “fuel divisions among tribal communities.”
The movie reportedly revolves around Christian conversion and witchcraft in the tribal villages in the state.
The name uses the Sanskrit word Sanatani, which refers to those who follow the Hindu religion. It asserts that for such people, Karma hi Dharma, meaning duty is religion.
The eastern state has a history of anti-Christian violence. The worst was in 2008 when Hindu groups attacked and burned down hundreds of Christian homes and churches in the tribal-dominated Kandhamal district, killing some 100 people, mostly Christians.
Hindu groups, who work to establish a nation of Hindu hegemony, oppose Christian missionary activities and conversion, particularly in the villages where they say missionaries target the socially poor tribal and former lower caste people.
The tribal-dominated Kandhamal has a Christian concentration, forming 20 percent of the district’s 750,000 people, with the majority of tribal people following the Hindu religion or their animist traditions.
The bishop’s forum said the tribal communities in the state with distinct traditions, rituals, and beliefs are part of India’s pluralistic social fabric. They fear the movie’s religion-based assertions could divide them.
“Any attempt to divide them could be seen as a malicious attempt to undermine their fundamental right to land, water, and forest. We must remember the agonizing history of atrocities and violence faced by Christian communities in Odisha,” they said.
The lead actor, Sambit Acharya, told the media that “there is nothing against any religion in the film, but religious conversions have been its focus. We have only shown what the reality is as far as conversions are concerned. “
Catholic priest Manoj Kumar Nayak, a parish priest in Kandhmal district, told UCA News that the release of the move across the state has “heightened worry and fear among our people.”
The Christian community of Kandhamal wrote to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi last week urging him to stop its release as the film portrays missionaries in a bad light.
However, the Orissa High Court on Feb. 5 refused to grant a stay order after hearing two separate petitions filed by local social activists.
Father Dibakar Parichha, a priest of the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar archdiocese in the capital, told UCA News that the movie should not be screened as it could “divide people and harm the social fabric of the state as well as the country.”
He said non-Christian groups also filed petitions seeking a court’s intervention to stop the movie screening. The petitions alleged that the movie could threaten peace and public order.
India’s Central Board of Film Certification has awarded the film a UA certificate, which means it is suitable for unrestricted public viewing. However, parental guidance is recommended for children under a certain age.