Amara Muzik Odia Video Screengrab / YouTube
CV NEWS FEED // Bishops of various Christian denominations across India have united to condemn the film “Sanatani — Karma hi Dharma,” saying it disparages Christianity and poses a risk of escalating religious violence in the country.
The National United Christians Forum, which includes Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, and Evangelical bishops, accused the movie of distorting “key aspects of Christian doctrine” and expressed fear that its religious assertions could deepen existing divides between religious communities, according to a Feb. 7 report from UCA News.
The movie focuses on themes of Christian conversion and witchcraft within tribal villages. The title incorporates the Sanskrit word Sanatani, which refers to someone who follows the Hindu religion, and the phrase Karma hi Dharma, meaning “duty is religion.”
The bishops said the movie might “fuel divisions among tribal communities.”
“Any attempt to divide them could be seen as a malicious attempt to undermine their fundamental right to land, water, and forest,” the bishops said, according to UCA News. “We must remember the agonizing history of atrocities and violence faced by Christian communities in Odisha.”
In light of the film’s Feb. 7 release, local Christian leaders have reported heightened fears within their communities. The Christian community in Kandhamal wrote to Odisha’s Chief Minister, urging him to halt the film’s screening due to its negative portrayal of missionaries. However, the Orissa High Court on Feb. 5 denied requests for a stay order, allowing the film to proceed in theaters.
Father Dibakar Parichha of the Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar warned that the movie could harm the social fabric of both the state and the country and told UCA News that some non-Christian groups had also protested the release of the movie.
Despite the backlash, India’s Central Board of Film Certification has granted the film a UA rating, permitting it for “unrestricted public viewing.”
Christian persecution watchdog Open Doors reported in its 2025 World Watch List that Christians in India experience the 11th most extreme persecution.
In India, according to Open Doors, “Hindu extremists view all Christians as outsiders and aim to cleanse the nation of Islam and Christianity, often using extensive violence. This hostility is often driven by Hindutva, an ongoing Hindu nationalist belief among some extremists that Indians ought to be Hindu — and no other faith will be tolerated.”
This mentality has resulted in violent assaults nationwide and a lack of accountability for those responsible, particularly in areas where authorities are “Hindu hardliners,” Open Doors said. In these regions, Christians attending house churches face the threat of attacks from extremist mobs targeting their gatherings.
