Dhāraṇī

A dhāraṇī is a Sanskrit term for a type of ritual speech similar to a mantra.

Etymology and purpose

The word dhāraṇī derives from a Sanskrit root √dhṛ meaning "to hold or maintain".

Ryuichi Abe and Jan Nattier suggest that a dhāraṇī is generally understood as a mnemonic which encapsulates the meaning of a section or chapter of a sutra. Dhāraṇīs are also considered to protect the one who chants them from malign influences and calamities.

Dhāraṇīs and mantras

Kūkai

The Japanese Buddhist monk Kūkai drew a distinction between dhāraṇī and mantra and used it as the basis of his theory of language. Kūkai claims that mantra is restricted to esoteric Buddhist practice whereas dhāraṇī is found in both esoteric and exoteric ritual.

Kūkai classified mantras as a special class of dhāraṇīs and argued that every syllable of a dhāraṇī was a manifestation of the true nature of reality – in Buddhist terms, that all sound is a manifestation of śūnyatā or emptiness of self-nature. Thus, rather than being devoid of meaning, Kūkai suggests that dhāraṇīs are in fact saturated with meaning – every syllable is symbolic on multiple levels.

Dharani (director)

Dharani (born Ramani) is an Indian film director, who primarily directs action-masala films. He is best known for directing the blockbuster films Dhill, Dhool and Ghilli.

Career

He first directed the film Ethirum Pudhirum, loosely based on forest brigand Veerappan and his younger brother's death, starring Mammootty. Financial constraints and political controversies ensured its delayed release in 1999. It received critical acclaim and was awarded second place in the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film. The film's producer Purna Chandra Rao made Dharani the director of his next production, starring Vikram, Dhill. The film was a box-office success and his next film Dhool, produced by A. M. Rathnam in 2003, again with Vikram along with Jyothika, turned out to be a blockbuster. He worked with A. M. Rathnam again for the film Ghilli starring Vijay and Trisha which was again a blockbuster. It was followed by Telugu film Bangaram, featuring Pawan Kalyan in the lead, that received below average reviews. In 2008, he directed Kuruvi, rejoining the lead cast of Ghilli. Unlike the previous success in Ghilli, Kuruvi got a large opening and was declared a blockbuster by completing 150 days at the Boxoffice. In 2011, he remade the 2010 Hindi blockbuster Dabangg in Tamil as Osthe, with Silambarasan in the lead role.

Dharani (film)

Dharani (English: World, Earth) is a 2015 Tamil film written and directed by Guhan Sambandham and produced by V.G.S Nagendran under the banner of Melody Movies. The film has an ensemble cast, which includes Aari, Ajay Krishna, Elango Kumaravel and Amy Sandra. R. Prakash and Vinoth Gandhi jointly handled the cinematography, while Ensone scored the music for this film. The film which began production in 2009, released across Tamil Nadu on 30 January 2015.

Plot

The plot is set in a rural backdrop where three middle class characters running a hotel come across three different circumstances facing three important life decision that is going to change their lives forever. The film charts the path taken by them to achieve their goal and details how they traverse through to nowhere.

Cast

Production

The writer gained inspiration to make the film after reading Robert Frost's poem, The Road Not Taken.Aari signed on to appear in the project in 2009, the first feature film he had signed, but delays meant production only began in the middle 2010. The film progressed slowly through production since 2010, and readied for a release, nearly five years after production began. Following the success of Nedunchaalai (2014), production restarted and Aari agreed to spare dates to help complete the film by late 2014.