| Road to Sangam | |
|---|---|
Theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | Amit Rai |
| Produced by | Amit Chheda |
| Written by | Amit Rai |
| Starring | Paresh Rawal Om Puri Pawan Malhotra Javed Shaikh Swati Chitnis |
| Music by | Nitin Kumar Gupta and Prem Haria |
| Cinematography | Dharam Gulati |
| Distributed by | Shethia Audio Video Productions |
| Release date(s) | 29 January 2010 |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | Rs. 3.5 crore |
Road to Sangam (Hindi: रोड टू संगम, Urdu: روڈ ٹو سنگم) is a 2009 Bollywood film written and directed by Amit Rai. The film features Bollywood actors Paresh Rawal, Om Puri and Pawan Malhotra.[1]
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.[2]
The film was released worldwide on 29 January 2010.
Contents |
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)".
Amit Rai first formed the idea for the film when he read a story about the restoration of the truck that carried Mahatma Gandhi'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.[3] To prepare for his role as an orthodox Maulvi, Pawan Malhotra watched Urdu language channels.[4] The film was shot on location in Allahabad. Tushar Gandhi makes a cameo appearance in the film[5] and many of the secondary characters are non-actor residents of Allahabad.
In a unique gesture, the Indian Post & Telegraphs Department 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.[6]
The music has been primarily given by two young directors - Nitin Kumar Gupta and Prem Haria. The 500 year old song Vaisnav Jan, 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.
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.
Won[7]