If you're looking for a fresh take on a classic story of the ‘Exodus’, if you believe in ‘miracles’ and ‘angels’ and ‘something good in everything you see’, and if you have faith in humanity, then ‘Testament-TSOM’ is worth watching. Mainly because it dives deeper, offering a critical look at Moses the man and not Moses the prophet.

Since it is narrated through the point of view of all Abrahamic religions, it also provides a common platform of understanding between, Jews, Christians, Muslims and the world at large.

For those with absolutely no idea of this biblical tale between Man and God, it serves as a lens through which you can appreciate its rich cultural and historical significance, especially through the many insightful explanations of some Theologians, Ministers and Archeologists. It shows us how human redemption starts, not with dissonance or discord, but only when people bravely stand up together to revolt against injustice.

And the struggle goes on forever. Even when you reach your promised land; even when you are liberated from slavery; because you may have got your Freedom, but you can’t live in peace, without Truth and Harmony.

The Almighty works in mysterious ways and He does it from His timeline. Not yours. If you wonder what kind of a God allows so much suffering, it’s maybe He wants us to see all the faces of evil before He can fix it.

What is happening today is very similar to what happened back then. Human trafficking and slavery still exists. So do powerful Pharaohs with ‘hardened hearts’. Even when God dismantles the land of Egypt, even when the economy is in shambles, even when the Pharaoh’s sense of authority is fragmented, he doesn’t bow down.

And when his ministers insist that humility and reason are the pillars of progress and peace, he pretends to be deaf. Yes, such Pharaohs exist even today. Men who are boastful, proud, defiant and so wrapped up in layers of aggrandisement that there is simply no room for others.

Like Hitler, who was so committed to his sick mission, so blinded to everything happening around him, that he couldn’t see his entire kingdom crumbling.

Remember, this is a docudrama, not a scriptural movie. So don’t judge it like one. All expert opinions are based on parallel views of non-believers back then, together with a history of other cultures and the deities that they worshiped.

So look at it as a show of Arrogance Vs. Humility. Pharaoh Vs. Prophet. Think of it from a pious and not a profane point of view. Of how social justice began- from Moses the murderer to Moses the liberator. Of how a set of laws were introduced- a moral code of commandments that would one day revolutionize the world. And how it is important to always stick to each other. For it is easy to start a war and introduce chaos. Much difficult to bring about peace and order.

Sometimes storytelling transcends faith, offering insights and deeply meaningful perspectives, regardless of one's personal beliefs. But. If you feel straying from the original scriptures to justify today’s thoughts is blasphemous, if you feel too much of poetic licensing was allowed to sway you and your one-point agenda of thinking, if you are easily offended by misinterpretations and contradictions in your religion, if you think corrupt Netflix is trying to unite/divide communities by twisting scriptures with this ‘woke’ version, if you feel the filmmakers have sacrificed authenticity for a one-sided narrative by assembling experts solely from socialist backgrounds, and if you feel some key moments were changed to fit a social agenda, detracting you from the richness of Moses' story and the impact of his legacy, then please stay away from it.

After all, this series isn't sent down directly by God Himself.

Most of us are familiar with how Moses stretched out his hand to part the Red sea, allowing his followers a safe passage; and how after their crossing over, the sea had engulfed the advancing army. In today’s world, we should interpret this story as an ocean flooded with metaphors and symbolism.

In a joint effort, what we need to do is to stretch our imagination, unite our views, and walk across the path of love, to the other side of the shore, where reason reigns. Once there, we should extend this logic to the advancing army too.

Give them a chance to tread on the path of rationality. So that they can also cross over without getting engulfed in a tsunami of extremism and hatred.

When you mingle three different Abrahamic religions in one series, you can’t expect a solid view. Opinions are going to fly all over the place. So whether you are a Christian, a Muslim, or a Jew, whether you are a believer, an agnostic or an atheist, while watching this, please leave your theories and biases aside and examine it as an art.

Not a representation of any scripture. It's important to view these teachings in a secular way and not ridicule or fight over them. The root of all teachings and the core principles are the same, so judge it, not as history, or a piece of religious iconography, or even a theological document. Watch if from a human perspective that allows you to reflect on why we still continue to fight wars over just a piece of land!

Nargis Natarajan is a writer, author and novelist residing in Bhubaneswar. Views expressed are the writer’s own.

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