By Thomas Scaria
Mangaluru, March 2, 2020: A newly released Malayalam feature film with English subtitles takes on mega star evangelists.
National Award-winning director Anwar Rasheed has returned to movie making after seven years with a story about the business of religion.
The film challenges the corporate and transnational lobbies within and outside the Church who try to cash the simple faith of believers, who are sometimes referred to as “slaves” in the movie.
Besides the lead actor Fahadh Faasil, the film has an ensemble cast of accomplished actors such as Gautham Menon, Soubin Shahir and Nazriya Nazim.
Rasheed takes us brilliantly through a shift from “Shepherd-sheep relationship” in the Bible to a “Master-slaves reality” in the Church, exposing the truth behind miracle workers, evangelists, charismatic preachers and the so called neo-Christian sects.
The message is quite clear for the Church in India that has made huge investment through funds and personnel for the spiritual renewal of its faithful.
The story line and the content of the film are certainly not a threat to Christianity nor does it belittle the name of Jesus Christ or the core of Christian faith. What it does is to try to expose certain multinational business plans and Church authorities’ strategy to exploit people’s vulnerability.
It resembles a political thriller where the leaders climb rise to power using the ignorance of the voters. Both religion and politics work as “opium” for masses who never realize the dangers until they are exploited thoroughly.
A struggling motivational speaker, Viju Prasad moves to Mumbai for better opportunities followed by the suicide of his mentally ill brother. While searching, Viju is hired by a pseudo corporate duo, Solomon and Isaac, who plan to mint money out of people’s blind attachment to religion.
After certain crash course trainings and with the help of some stimulant drugs, Viju becomes Pastor Joshua Carlton, a powerful evangelical preacher who mesmerizes the audience around the globe with his miracle works and powerful preaching which take people to a hypnotic trance.
Once the audience are taken up by the electrifying retreats or conventions with miracles, music, dance and develops into a blind faith, the business develops in the form of extracting money and building an empire with a multi-million business model.
But a private television channel brings the entire operations under the scanner and the rest of the movie follows its impact on Joshua, his bosses and his followers.
Fahad Fazil makes a brilliant performance as Pastor Joshua Carlton. Nazriya Nizam, his real life partner, also gives a marvelous performance in a never seen before character. Most actors did their best.
No doubt, the goal of the film makers was not to tarnish the Church or threaten the Church leaders, but a simple attempt to probe corruption in religion and the exploitation of devotees. The film, after all, is about a fake pastor, who is just a tool for the business operations of multinational corporates to mint money using faith as the driving force.
It highlights certain Christian denominations in Kerala that have created a powerful global empire. It points towards those who use too much of light and sounds in chanting “Hallelujah” and “Praise the Lord” that keep people mesmerized. It is about amassing wealth, property, expensive cars, and developing a multinational business around it.
Too much emphasis on miracles, noisy worships, shouting halleluiah and interpreting Bible to the advantage of the preacher are indeed disturbing trends.
While appreciating the entire team that produced this classical cinema, my Catholic faith was not affected by any scene in the movie. I am sure it is the same case with most true believers who watch this movie.
We have heard of reports about the sick dying of their illness because their families who over depend on prayers and holy water from the pastors instead of medicines. We have seen preachers collecting money from people through prayer conventions and growing rich. We have also seen preachers using various techniques to keep the faithful their blind followers. Let this movie open the eyes of such people.
Rating: 7.5/10