Road To Sangam Review

 What is it all about?

Some people are remembered for wrong reasons and some movies are remembered for wrong reasons. First timer Amit Rai's `Road To Sangam' is film that every Indian needs at this hour of morality and human crisis we are in.

As Indian republic enters its retirement age and Gandhi's 31st death anniversary will be observed on 30th of this month, comes a film that asks us how much do we know about this man and his ideas today?.

Yes Raju Hirani's `Munnabhai' did made us believe that the man who got us this independence is beyond a 500 rupee note and `dry days'. Amit Rai's `Road To Sangam' has the powerful message of  humanity, equality and duty, that may possibly will bring Gandhi to the attention of a lot of people around again post `Lage Raho'.

The difference is this time its not as a saint but as a self-searching, sometimes fallible human being, who gave his life to maintain the intimacy between Hindus and Muslims that helps us to understand Gandhi as a person as much as an icon. In a Bollywood society that's rife with some khiladis waterworks and some popular hunks plucky angst, it's nice to have an occasional jolt of truth.

`Road To Sangam' has that bold-faced honesty which we find so often lacking in many contemporary films.

The movie stars Paresh Rawal in a role of a moderate Muslim who refuses to follow the clergy in order to fill his duty of repairing the motor of a truck which is suppose to carry the ashes of the Mahatma who laid his life allegedly for allowing Pakistan to happen & today people ignore the man and his humanity values behind keeping the order of their temple ahead of anything else.

Paresh Rawal in `Road To Sangam' is not some sort of Bollywood trumped up triumph like `Munnabhai' or the `3 Idiots'. Rather, it's a mirror of the mentality, acceptance level, tolerance, ignorant situation we are in just some stirring facts that are nothing but the truth.

The Story..of course

The easy way to read first timer writer director Amit Rai's `Road To Sangam' is that it denies all the odds and refuses to quit, and the writing has the same fighting human spirit.

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.

What to look out for?

First timer Amit rai does a commendable job in making a thought provoking film that finely performs the reforming experience that whispers the message of equality and humanity.

His narration is simple and straight that cuts the demands/norms of a routine Bollywood film and sticks to its theme. 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'.

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.

With fine production values, the movie background score by Sandesh Shandilya is worth mentioning as it keeps the intensity intact.

Equally commendable is the way director Amit Rai 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.

What Not?

The second half is bit moody and it's a bit slow giving the film the feel of a documentary which somehow evaporates the tremendous impact it made at the interval as a result, the movie somehow fails to make a severe dent in your heart in the end though it stirs you.

Recommended: This award winner at 6 international film festivals including the best film is certainly a catch for sensible cinema wala who is also an Indian.

Rating: ****

[Ratings: * Yuck, ** Oh..,No. *** Hmmmm. Not Bad. **** Well Done. Superb. ***** Priceless]