Road to Sangam was appreciated by the audiences on the second day of the Mumbai Film Festival. Comments the director Amit Rai, “I was humbled with this response. For me this film had begun as a thought on Mahatma Gandhi, his principles and reaction to a news piece in a paper. We made it in a very simple manner and even kept the narration of the story simplistic. And that is what the audience loved – the non-complex expression of human behaviour. I will always be grateful to my producer Amit Chheda for having faith in me and my project. Standing ovation by audiences was as much for gandhigiri as it was for him.” In fact, Road to Sangam is the only Indian Feature film to have any award in the festival.
The film is 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 ‘Sangam’ of holy rivers Ganga, jamuna and invisible Sarasvati. After a powerful bomb blast in his area, he gets sucked into the vortex of loyalty to the call of protest against police atrocities by his clan and the man who had sacrificed his life for them.
Presented by Gipsy Films & Shashikant Chheda, Road to Sangam is produced by Amit Chheda and directed by Amit Rai. Star cast includes Paresh Rawal, Om Puri, Javed Shaikh, Pavan Malhotra and Swati Chitnis.
Other Winners at Mumbai Film Festival 2009
Young Critics Award: Whisper With The Wind
Special Mention: Women Without Men
Dimensions Mumbai Award: 1st-Sagar Setu; 2nd-Mumbai Lego
Special Mention: Udaan and Kala Khatta
Audience Choice Award: Road To Sangam
Best Camera & Sound: Katalin Varga
Best Actress: Paprika Steen for Applaus
Best Actor: Edward Hogg for White Lightnin’
Best Director: Adrien Biniez for Gigannte
International Competition for Debut Films
Best Film: White Lightnin’
Jury Grand Prize: La Pivellina
