Road to Sangam
Encyclopedia
Road to Sangam is a 2009
Bollywood
film written and directed by Amit Rai
. The film features Bollywood actors Paresh Rawal
, Om Puri
and Pawan Malhotra.
Road to Sangam is a simple story of a God fearing, devout Muslim mechanic named Hasmatullah (Paresh Rawal) who has been entrusted the job of repairing an old V8 ford engine
, not knowing the historic significance that it once carried the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi
which were immersed in the holy Triveni Sangam.
The film was released worldwide on 29 January 2010.
's ashes to the Sangam by a Muslim mechanic. After he read about Mahatma Gandhi
's ashes being unearthed in an Orissa
bank vault, he decided to write a script based on the idea.
To prepare for his role as an orthodox Maulvi
, Pawan Malhotra watched Urdu language channels.
The film was shot on location in Allahabad
. Tushar Gandhi
makes a cameo appearance in the film and many of the secondary characters are non-actor residents of Allahabad.
is issuing special envelopes on the release of the film. They are also putting up posters and advertisements in all the post offices in the country.
, which was a favourite of Mahatma Gandhi, has been rearranged for this film. The music received the award for Best Foreign Film Original Score at Los Angeles Reel Film Festival.
Another has termed it one of the six must see forthcoming films for 2010.
Won
2009 in film
The year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made the top 50 list of highest-grossing films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of this year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five .- Highest-grossing films :Please note...
Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film written and directed by Amit Rai
Amit Rai
Amit Rai is an Indian film director and writer. He won the Gollapudi Srinivas National Award in 2009 for directing Road to Sangam. His 2009 Marathi film Tingya, won him the best director award at the International Film Festival of South Africa, 2009....
. The film features Bollywood actors Paresh Rawal
Paresh Rawal
Paresh Rawal is an Indian actor of Gujarati background.Making his film debut in 1984, he mainly played supporting and villain roles throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Since 2000 he has mostly played comic roles.- Family and early life :...
, Om Puri
Om Puri
Om Puri is an Indian actor who has appeared in both mainstream Indian films and art films. His credits also include appearances in British and American films. He has received an honorary OBE.-Early life:...
and Pawan Malhotra.
Road to Sangam is a simple story of a God fearing, devout Muslim mechanic named Hasmatullah (Paresh Rawal) who has been entrusted the job of repairing an old V8 ford engine
Ford Flathead engine
The Ford flathead V8 was a V8 engine of the flathead type, designed by the Ford Motor Company and built by Ford and various licensees...
, not knowing the historic significance that it once carried the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
which were immersed in the holy Triveni Sangam.
The film was released worldwide on 29 January 2010.
Synopsis
A simple story of a God fearing, devout Muslim mechanic named Hashmat Ullah (Paresh Rawal) who has been entrusted the job of repairing an old V8 ford engine, not knowing the historic significance that it once carried the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi which were immersed in the holy river 'Sangam'. He is caught in a complex situation after a powerful bomb explosion rocks his town leading to the arrest of innocent Muslim youths of his locality. A strike to work is called by the prominent Leaders played by Om Puri and Pavan Mallhotra, of his community to protest against the unjust treatment meted out to those arrested youths by the police. Will he support the protest and abandon the repair of the engine or go against the wishes of his community. Thus begins his journey. A journey of Gandhian values and principles. A journey of patriotism. A journey called "Road To Sangam (CONFLUENCE)".Cast
- Paresh RawalParesh RawalParesh Rawal is an Indian actor of Gujarati background.Making his film debut in 1984, he mainly played supporting and villain roles throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Since 2000 he has mostly played comic roles.- Family and early life :...
- Hasmat Ullah - Om PuriOm PuriOm Puri is an Indian actor who has appeared in both mainstream Indian films and art films. His credits also include appearances in British and American films. He has received an honorary OBE.-Early life:...
- Mohammad Ali Kasuri - Pawan Malhotra - Maulana Qureshi
- Javed Shaikh - Dr. Banerjee
- Swati Chitnis - Aara
- Masood Akhtar - Zulfikar
- Yusuf Hussain - Gaffar
Awards
- Mumbai Academy of the Moving ImageMumbai Academy of the Moving ImageThe Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image is a public trust that organizes annual International Film Festival in Mumbai known as the Mumbai Film Festival...
Film Festival- Audience Choice Award
- International film festival of South Africa
- Best 1st film of the Director Award
- Radar Hamburg Film Festival Germany
- Best Feature film Award
- Los Angeles Reel Film FestivalBold text
- Best Foreign Film v sdfv
- Best Foreign Film Production Design Award
- Los Angeles Reel Film Festival
- Best Foreign Film 3rd Prize
- Macon Film Festival USA
- Best Film (First Place)
- Gollapudi Srinivas National Awrad
- Best Debutant Director 2009
Production
Amit Rai first formed the idea for the film when he read a story about the restoration of the truck that carried Mahatma GandhiMahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
's ashes to the Sangam by a Muslim mechanic. After he read about Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
's ashes being unearthed in an Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
bank vault, he decided to write a script based on the idea.
To prepare for his role as an orthodox Maulvi
Maulvi
Mawlawi is an honorific Islamic religious title given to Sunni Muslim religious scholars or Ulema preceding their names, similar to the titles Maulana, Mullah, or Shaykh. Mawlawi generally means highly-qualified Islamic scholar...
, Pawan Malhotra watched Urdu language channels.
The film was shot on location in Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
. Tushar Gandhi
Tushar Gandhi
Tushar Arun Gandhi is a great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, and the son of journalist Arun Manilal Gandhi.Born on a train between Mumbai and Kolkata, he was raised in the Mumbai suburb of Santa Cruz...
makes a cameo appearance in the film and many of the secondary characters are non-actor residents of Allahabad.
Marketing
In a unique gesture, the Indian Post & Telegraphs DepartmentIndian Postal Service
The Department of Posts functioning under the brand name India Post , is a government operated postal system in India; it is generally referred to within India as "the post office"....
is issuing special envelopes on the release of the film. They are also putting up posters and advertisements in all the post offices in the country.
Music
The music has been primarily given by two young directors - Nitin Kumar Gupta and Prem Haria. The 500 year old song Vaisnav JanVaishnav jan to
Vaishnava Jana To is one of the most popular Hindu Bhajan, written in 15th Century by poet Narsinh Mehta. It was written in Gujrati. The bhajan was included in Mahatma Gandhi’s daily prayer. The bhajan tells us about the life, ideals and mentality of a Vaishnav Jana...
, which was a favourite of Mahatma Gandhi, has been rearranged for this film. The music received the award for Best Foreign Film Original Score at Los Angeles Reel Film Festival.
Reviews
The film has received acclamation all over the world. One reviewer (Pratyush Khaitan ) has called it the best Gandhi film of all time.Another has termed it one of the six must see forthcoming films for 2010.
Awards
2011 Star Screen AwardsStar Screen Awards
The Star Screen Awards is an annual awards ceremony in India honoring professional excellence in film. The nomination and award selection is done by a panel of distinguished professional from the industry itself.- History :...
Won
- Best StoryStar Screen Award for Best StoryThe winners of the Star Screen Awards for Best Story are listed below:-1990s:*1994 Krantiveer - K.K. Singh*1995 Param Vir Chakra - Ashok Kaul*1996 Maachis - Gulzar*1997 Virasat - Kamal Haasan*1998 Zakhm - Mahesh Bhatt...
- Amit Rai