I saw this movie in a private screening in my college. I went along, not being really interested in watching a documentary film, being more of a fiction fan myself. On top of that i was told that this is almost 2 hours long. I did not want to sit through a couple of hours of watching things i have seen in countless documentary films. But I did. And am i glad that i did?
The film attempts many things as a first. I was told that this is the first time the whole of India has been covered in one feature length documentary. The film was made by a bunch of people who did not have any experience in film-making prior to this. They had only a passion to do it and the guidance of one of the directors who has a film-making background. The film is shot as one continuous drive around some 20000 kilometers covering all he states of India. The film, unlike most documentary films, has songs in it which aid the narrative.
I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. As a rarity I was entertained, not just by the stories that were featured in the film but by the adventures that the 5 people on the trip go through, whether it is physical, financial or emotional.
The film also refrains from passing any judgment on the stories or the people being shown. It just shows what the film-makers see.
Some stories were new, most were things I, as a person who has spent 23 years in this country has already seen. But it was definitely the first time I got to see it all threaded by one single trip.
Loved the editing, the rhythm moving from fast and peppy to slow and relaxed, based on what the stories demanded. The music was amazing, not just the songs, the background score, covering almost all the kinds of music that India has. For me the winner in the film was the camera work. Quirky at times, beautiful at times, weird, crazy, poised. The cinematographer captured everything as if the visuals defined how it would like to be shot.
Cant wait to see it in a movie theater. But then that rarely happens with documentaries in India. Maybe its good when things happen for the first time.