Father, Son, and Holy War

Father, Son, and Holy War
A gigantic red-coloured man with six arms. Upper two arms flexing muscles. Rifle on the middle right hand. Sword on the lower right hand. Staff on the middle left hand. Decapitated head of a man on the lower left hand. Burning houses on the background. Front of the gigantic man is a campfire burning a mourning woman and a dead man.
Film poster
पितृ, पुत्र और धर्मयुद्ध
Directed byAnand Patwardhan
Produced byAnand Patwardhan
Music byNavnirman, Vinay Mahajan
Release date
  • 1995 (1995)
Running time
120 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguagesEnglish, Hindi

Father, Son, and Holy War (Pitra, Putra, aur Dharmayuddha) is a 1995 film by Indian documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan. The film is shot in two parts, with the first (Trial by Fire) examining the link between the violence of the Hindu nationalist movement, such as the demolition of the Babri Masjid, and sexual violence against women. The second part (Hero Pharmacy) looks at the nature of masculinity in contemporary urban India, and its role in encouraging sexual violence. As with other films of his, Patwardhan had to fight multiple court battles in order to force the national carrier Doordarshan to screen the film, a screening which eventually occurred on the orders of the Supreme court. The film received numerous national and international awards, and was also seen positively by critics.