Road To Sangam Hindi Movie Free RoadToSangam Film Review

admin — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 07:00:03 +0000

The films starts with Tushar Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi receiving a box of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes which have been lying at a local post office for years. He decides to immerse the ashes in the holy river “Sangam’ on the banks of Ganga. Then there is Hashmatullah (Paresh Rawal) a simple, god fearing, devout Muslim who is a renowned mechanic who can repair any engine. He is also respected by the local religious associations there and is a contender for the top post. His main rival is a rich man Mohammad Ali Kasuri (Om Puri) who at one time was his friend but due to some differences has become his rival. Also against Hashmat is the local maulvi Maulana Qureshi (Pawan Malhotra). Among Hashmat’s friends are Dr. Banerjee (Javed Sheilh) who though is from a different religion but always is by Hashmat’s side, like a brother. One day Hashmat 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, Mohammad Ali Kasuri and Maulana Qureshi, to protest against the unjust treatment meted out to those arrested youths by the police. He supports them but as he comes to know that the engine he is repairing is needed for a procession to immerse Gandhiji’s ashes in a few days, he decides not to join the strike but continue the work on the engine. In return he faces a wrath of fury from his community members. Finally with his nice attitude he is able to convince some of his community people to let him work and they support him. He also convinces the government to change the route of the procession through his area, which is a stronghold of Muslims. Finally the engine is repaired and the procession takes place and muslims greet the procession with open hands and full respect.

Road to Sangam can be aptly compared to the khadi cloth that Gandhiji actively promoted. Its simply made. The message that it wants to put through is clear enough. Some gory images have been shown. But perhaps it is to make the viewers realize that there have been too many fights with cause unknown and consequence unbeneficial. And that, the time has come to open up our eyes to think any issue through before standing for it or against it. The movie raises a question as to where should one draw a line between religion and country, between personal and societal. When the whole world thinks in one direction and you think the other way, are you okay? Is it right to follow your heart’s voice even when the closest to you don’t seem to speak the same language?

However, if this message has to reach the public then a fair job hasn’t been done. It needs more than what’s in the film, for any layman to sit through the movie and then grasp its message. The thought of the movie is novel but its presentation isn’t mass endearing. Also, another disappointing fact about this film is the lack of strong female characters. Or is it just a true and bitter reflection of our small towns where women still find it hard to make their space in the society?

The film doesn’t cross the line except where a rickshaw driver retorts to a question asking him how he’d respond if someone forced him not to work for a day. He says- Is this a Pakistan or a Taliban, that anyone can force? It beats me how we can ever achieve peace with Pakistan if we continue to have such dialogues in our films.

The music is rustic and at times spiritual. Some songs have a levitating effect. Editing is smooth.

A simple, thought-provoking story, ROAD TO SANGAM has some brilliant moments and also some sequences that you carry home. But what could’ve been told in a concise format seems stretched after a point. Also, besides moving at a snail’s pace, there’s also sermonising at times, which wasn’t really required.

Writer-director Amit Rai explains his point of view, but the screenplay could’ve been firm for a stronger impact. Otherwise, the director has succeeded in extracting wonderful performances from the principal cast.

Paresh Rawal excels in this film. This is amongst his finest works. Om Puri is equally competent, although the length of his role is limited. Pawan Malhotra is efficient, as always. Javed Sheikh is good. The remaining actors enact their parts very well.

On the whole, ROAD TO SANGAM is mainly for connoisseurs of cinema and also for the festival circuit.

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Road To Sangam Hindi Movie Free RoadToSangam Film Review