Saturday 26 March 2016

Atheist Reading of Da Vinci Code, O.M.G. and P.K. Movie




Topic: Atheist Reading of Da Vinci Code, O.M.G. and P.K. Movie
Name:  Nidhi Jasani


Class:  M.A. Sem.4
Year:  2014-2016

Submitted to:  M.K. Bhavnagar University, Department of English nidhijasani15@gmail.com






·    Introduction

First what is Atheism?Atheism in a broad sense is a rejection of belief in the existence of deities, in a narrower sense, the specific belief that there are no deities, and most inclusively, it is simply the absence of belief that any deities exist. Atheism is contrasted with theism, which in its most general form is the belief that at least one deity exists. The word originates with the Greek ἄθεος (atheos), meaning "without god(s)", used as a pejorative term applied to those thought to reject the gods worshipped by the larger society.” (Wikipidia)

·    Atheism in ‘Da Vinci Code’

“Da Vinci Code” is written by Julian Barn. This book is based on secret of ‘holy grail’ and bloodline of Jesus Christ. At the first level of reading we found that this book is kind of anti-religious anti-Christianity.
We found that this book is literary fiction. And what is written in literature is always not true. There are no evidences of existence of Jesus. When we think about relation of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, Jesus make a woman pregnant and died. When we do atheist reading of the book, Sir Leigh Teabing become hero. And Robert Langdon becomes antagonist. He wants to reveal truth or secret of Holy Grail. He wants to make free people from the burden of so called religious. Through the novel and movie we found that Robert Langdon is shown as anti-religious and anti-god but at the end of the novel we found that he bow down to god. He started believing in god and Christianity, he became part of ‘Priory of Sion’, and saviors of Holy Grail, and Christianity.
        Whereas Leigh Teabing tries to reveal secret, he does all this things for society. He wants to make people happy and free. First he has hope from Priory of Sion, but they keep secret as secret only. Leigh Teabing thinks that by revealing secret of Holy Grail, he saves humanity and innocent human beings. When we look at history we found that many people died and killed because of religion. With the name of religious so many people are killed. Leigh Teabing thinks that by keeping secret of ‘holy Grail’ ‘Priory of Sion’ do big damage to humanity. Leigh Teabing helps Sophie Neveu and Robert Lengdon, because he knows that without their help he cannot reach to Holy Grail. But when he is very near to Holy Grail he catches by police. And he cannot reach to Holy Grail. So he is not able to revel the secret of Holy Grail and Mary Magdalene. Sophie Neveu is at some point she is also nonbeliever of god and atheist.
        Leigh Teabing tries to save humanity from religious. He says that ‘Let them Live with life, make them free.’ Leigh Teabing’s life is become like pilgrimage, because he is in search of Holy Grail with better purpose than other.     
           
·     Atheist reading of P.K. and O.M.G. Movie

 ‘Oh My God’ is move based on idea of anti-god. It is also right that this move is not pure atheist. We can say that in country like India it is too difficult to make this kind of movie. This kind of movies is always in controversy in India. Everything which is related to god is in controversial in India. This kind of movie hurt religious faith and felling of people especially ‘Dharma Guru’ ( Yash).
     In the movie O.M.G. we found that during entire movie Paresh Raval is true atheist in true sense. Kanji Lalji Maheta is protagonist of the movie and he registered case against God. He thinks that his shop is fall down due to earthquake, and it is done by god. So, indirectly god is responsible for the fall of his shop. Here in the movie we found that no one is ready to take his case in their hand, no advocate wants to go against and fight against god. That’s why he himself stared fighting his own case, he became his advocate. He presents so many arguments against god, which are true also. Many people become angry on him.
Here we can ask one question that why Hindu god is there in movie no other god like Jesus or other? One thing is it is for Indian so there is Hindu god. And the name of protagonist is also connected with religious, because ‘Kanji’ is name of one Hindu god ‘Krishna’. For make him believer of god the lord Krishna is come on the earth and help him. If we think that it is Indian and that’s why director chose Hindu god, then why not other god like ‘Shiva’, ‘Ganesh’ and other god why only Krishna? When we look at history, past or story of Krishna, Krishna is very mischievous, e never follows any rolls, he wants to bring change in society. Krishna was very different from the other traditional gods, he not stand for morality and other typical thinks.
The movie is deep satire on religious and started asking question on typical and nonsensical ritual of religious. Some kind of religious practices, like ‘bathing Shiva linga with milk’ and so many other rituals.
In this movie we found that Kanji stand for the society. He gives so many arguments against existence of god and this kind of so called ritual. So many debates are going in movie. At the ending part of the movie Kanji also started believing in god, he also longing for that keychain, which is in hand of god in entire movie. At some level he becomes theist. Bu god says that you are pass wrong message through doing this. What you are doing in your past is right. Continue with it. During the entire movie, Kanji is fight for society, and he is like atheist. He wants to make society free from the religious boundary. As some we found it in Da Vinci Code’ by Julian Barn, that sir Leigh Tebing also makes humanity from the burden of religious through revealing the secret of ‘Holy Grail’.

·    P.K. Movie

In the movie P.K. we found that Aamir Khan plays role of alien (p.k.). In the beginning part of the movie he is not atheist, he is pure theism and believer of god as same as like other Indian people believe in god ( Yash). This movie is also deep satire on different religious and their different practices. There are so many religious in the world, and they have different kind of signs, rituals, symbols and different myths. For example how one colour is good for one religion and this same colour is bad sign for other religious.
        First p.k. is also in search of god, because when his remote is stole someone told him that ask god. God will help you. That’s why he is in search of god. He visits so many religious places like temple, masjid and church. But he never met god. The scene of exam time in college, it shows blind faith on god. People think that god will help them in their exam paper. He also says that in less investment you get more profit. It is deep satire on religious and temple.
        Later on in the movie we found that he started saying that “Wrong number”. God have not given his right number, so when we call god it cannot rich to him. He observing all this as an outsider view. Before ending he has talk with one ‘Guru’. At that time Guru says that “Eshwar Ekhi hai” (there is one god only). He gives answer that “dui he Bhagavan he” (there is two god). Then he explain that, one god is original god. Whom he never meets and don’t know where is he/she? Don’t know anything about the original god. And the second god is made by you. Your god is like you. He is doing all things like you. Your gods also do corruption. Rich people easily meet him and poor have to wait to meet him, he also takes ‘rishwata’.
        P.K. movie is more theist rather than atheist. No doubt that movie criticizes god and religious. Yes, it is right that it is satire on “Dharma gurus” and question on all religious.

·    Conclusion

After this above all discussion we come on one conclusion, that throughout the entire movie we found that all those characters are atheist but at the end all bough down towards god. It is also found that Sophie Neveu is remaining as nonbeliever of god. Because at the end of the movie we found that Sophie put her leg into water and try to see if water turners in to vine or not. She heard that Jesus have capacity to turn water into vine. She is bloodline of Jesus, or royal blood. Time and again she used to say that “Your god”, it also indicates that she is non-believer of god.
Who is real atheist?  When we think about both movie O.M.G. and ‘Da Vinci Code’ indirectly god is atheist. In the movie ‘Da Vinci Code’ we found that Sophie Neveu is portion of god and royal blood, so she is god and we can see that she is non-believer of god, and atheist. As same in movie O.M.G. lord Krishna says to Kanji that be whatever you are in your past, what you are doing in your past is right.         
                                                                                         

Works Cited

 Yash. PK, OMG and atheism in Indian movie. n.d. 11 3 2016 <http://www.yash.info/blog/index.php/movies/pk­omg­and­atheism­in­indian­movies>.
Wikipidia. Atheism. n.d. 16 3 2016 <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Atheism)>.