Dharmatma () is a 1975 Hindi thriller movie and the first Bollywood film to be shot in Afghanistan. It was produced and directed by Feroz Khan. The movie is the first attempt in India to localise The Godfather. The cast includes Feroz Khan, Hema Malini, Rekha, Premnath, Imtiaz Khan, Danny Denzongpa, Farida Jalal, Ranjeet, Helen, Madan Puri, Jeevan, Iftekhar, Dara Singh, Satyen Kappu and Sudhir. The music is by Kalyanji Anandji. This film took Feroz Khan to new heights in his career as this was a hit movie. The same year, Sholay and Deewar were released. The film also has scenes featuring Buzkashi, a Central Asian sport on horses, including aerial shots, which in turn won the film's cinematographer, Kamal Bose, the Filmfare Award for Best Cinematographer. Dharmatma's plot is loosely based on The Godfather and the character of Premnath was inspired by the life and times of the then king of Matka gambling, Ratan Khatri.
Synopsis
Wealthy, powerful, and influential, Seth Dharamdas leads a financially secure life in a palatial bungalow. He is known to come help people who are beyond any hope of assistance, and this leads to him being known as "Dharmatma". But Seth Dharamdas does have a number of skeletons in his closet and a parallel life as a gangster and a Matka king. The only person whom he dislikes and fears is his own son Ranbir.
After a heated argument over Dharmatma's matka business, Ranbir leaves home for Afghanistan, where he stays with his uncle and manages his business. One day in a forest, while riding a horse, he finds a nomad, Jankura, and a woman, Reshma, fighting. He defends Reshma and they fall in love.
Meanwhile, in India, his sister Mona, is all set to marry Kundan, the son of their father's old friend. She writes to Ranbir to attend her wedding and give them his blessings. Ranbir accepts her invitation and arrives at the venue. The marriage commences, and Mona departs after the ceremony. While in the car, she gives her husband a steel ring with "I Love You" inscribed on it.
Ranbir leaves for Afghanistan. He proposes to Reshma, which she accepts. Her foster-father also reluctantly agrees to their marriage. A fortune-teller there predicts that Reshma will bring death to Ranbir, which has Reshma worried.
Meanwhile, in India, a business-rival by the name of Anokhelal proposes a narcotics deal to Dharmatma, which he refuses. His son-in-law tries to force him to accept the scheme but is unsuccessful. Dharmatma recognises the nature of his son-in-law and apologises for his mistake of letting his daughter marry him. He misses Ranbir and orders his assistant, Vikram Singh, to bring Ranbir back from Afghanistan. Vikram Singh agrees, but on the way, he is kidnapped by Anokhelal's sons, Natwar and Rishi and his brother Biradar.
In Afghanistan, Ranbir and Reshma prepare for their marriage. On the day of the wedding, they leave for the temple. While in the temple, Natwar and Rishi plant a bomb in their jeep, which will explode once the car is started. After praying, Reshma starts the jeep, and it explodes, killing Reshma leaving Ranbir heart-broken.
Natwar and Rishi attack a Matka centre of Dharmatma, injuring him and Kundan. They order a nurse to help Kundan kill Dharmatma. In Afghanistan, Ranbir gets the news of the attack on his father and returns to India. Kundan kills Dharmatma, assisted by the nurse but loses his ring given to him by his wife. Ranbir arrives and finds that his father is dead. He promises to his father that he will find out his murderer and punish him. Some days later, Ranbir with Anu, a childhood friend who secretly loves him, goes out for a drive, where he is attacked by goons sent by Anokhelal. The doctor who operated on his father gives him the ring which he found in Dharmatma's hand and tells him that his father died from suffocation. Ranbir suspects a hospital employee to be a part of the conspiracy and asks the doctor about the nurse on duty that night. He visits her house only to find her killed by Natwar and Rishi. He tries the ring on her hand, but it doesn't fit.
Kundan arrives and lies to him that Vikram Singh is the killer and asks Ranbir to kill Vikram Singh.