ROAD TO SANGAM
A superbly performed noticeable reforming experience that whispers the message of equality and humanity with an echo
by Vishal Verma

A PVR Release of a Shethia Audio Video Productions.

Producer: Amit Chheda
Writer – Director: Amit Rai
Genre: Social
Target Audience: General

Starring

Paresh Rawal...... Husmatullah
Om Puri...... Mohammad Ali Kasuri
Pawan Malhotra...... Maulana Qureshi
Javed Sheikh...... Dr. Banerjee
Swati Chitnis...... Aara
Yusuf Hussain...... Gaffer
Masood Akhtar...... Zulfikar
Rajan Bhise...... Shoukat
Sudhir Nema...... Inaayat Ali
G P Singh...... Hakim
Vijay Mishra...... Rafat
Tushar Gandhi...... Guest appearance

 

Technical Analysis

Bravo, well done, ab lage raho Mr. Amit. If Raju Hirani can make Bapu alive and talk in flesh and blood with ‘Lage Raho Munnabai and do remarkable wonders then hold on. First timer Amit Rai can also awaken our dead souls and remind the significance of the great Mahatama Gandhi and his ideologies which are becoming more and more relevant in this age of smart phones and sleek wheels.

The easy way to read first timer Amit Rai’s ‘Road To Sangam’ is that denies all the odds and refuses to quit, and this movie has the same fighting human spirit. Some may find the film as a glorification of Gandhism, but I found it to be more about ‘not having’ them rather then 'getting' them.

And that’s the major USP of this films which doesn,t preaches the principles but simply asks whether do you really aware of such thoughts and ideas. Set in Allahabad, beautifully captured by Dharam Gulati, the movie starts with the most lovable guy in the locality, Paresh Rawal (excellent) wining the morning walk and subsequently stirring our soul with a Gandhian spoon that spells the pathos of ignorance, intolerance, lack of acceptance in our society that is now following the clergy and forgetting the ideology.
The message in ‘Road to Sangam’ is more direct making us think that many of us in that particular situation can't do what Husmatullah (Paresh Rawal) did.

You can,t break the cycle of hatred and mentality, They never get off the scene, But this is the story of one man who made it, and ‘Road to Sangam’ with Paresh Rawal on screen by the script and narration of Amit Rai does the justice.

Beautifully written with dialogues like “Hamare liye uske apno ne uski jaan li’ or ‘mein mahan kam nahin ek mahan aatma ka kam kar raha hoon” or ‘yeh Hindustan hai koi taliban ya Pakistan thodi hai, supports the film and its cause.

First timer Amit rai does a commendable job in making a thought provoking film and equally commendable is the way he has managed to strike brilliant performances from the actors who are anyway brilliant on their own but this film adds more shine to their acting glory where Paresh Rawal is astonishing, Pawan Malhotra as the maulvi is outstanding and Om Puri is brilliant as ever. 

Swati Chitnis as Aara Paresh wife and Yusuf Hussain as Gaffer also provide valuable support.

With fine production values, the movie background score by Sandesh Shandilya is worth mentioning as it keeps the intensity intact. Art by Narendra Bhagat maintains the aura of a Muslim house in hindi heartland plus the music by Sandesh Shandilya, Vijay Mishra, Nitin Kumar Gupta and Prem Hariya is soothing where the lyrics by Sudhir Nema are thought full especially the qawali ‘Hum Subah Ke Buloh Ko Pata Ghar Ka Bata De’.

On the flipside, the second half is bit moody and it’s a bit slow giving the film the feel of a documentary which somehow evaporates the impact it made at the interval. Anyhow overall it’s an achievement in making a sensible cinema.

The movie gets 4 out of 5

One for the idea and the execution

One for the performances

One for the music

One for writing

The movie looses on not being able to make a severe dent in your heart in the end though it stirs you.

 

The Story

A story that shows how ignorant we are on the principles of the man who got us freedom and its not about how much we know, its about how much we don,t know. 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.

 

 Promotion

The accolades at major festivals like MAMI (Viewers choice)
IFF South Africa (Best film by first timer)
Radar Hamburg (Best Feature Film)
Los Angeles (Best Original Score, Production design)
Will be helpful in bringing niche legs as starters and then the theme is likely to attract more legs.

 

Business Analysis

Based on the ideology of Gandhi, ‘Road To Sangam’ comes with a message that will be read by the thinking auds. For regulars this might not be the cake they order every week but certainly a cinematic glory to the Gandhi ideology and human value story.  

 

Other Credits

Executive Producer: Sunil Sharma. Cassettes and CD's on Gipsy Music. Singers: Kailash Kher, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Hariharan, Kirti Sagathia, Sandesh Shandilya. Lyricist: Sudhir Nema. Music Director: Sandesh Shandilya, Vijay Mishra, Nitin Kumar Gupta Prem Hariya. Background Music: Sandesh Shandilya. Cinematography: Dharam Gulati. Choreography: Pradeep Kalakar. Action: Harish Shetty. Art: Narendra Bhagat. Media Relations: NR2 the Image Engineers with Inder Mohan Pannu. Reviewed at Famous Studios, Mumbai on January 25, 2010.

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