The Great Indian Road Movie
-On the Life Road -
Feature Film / Road Movie / Indian Movie / 2018 Movie / Malayalam Movie / Witten and Directed by Sohan Lal / Produced by Abhilash S. Pillai / Music Sreevalsan J Menon / Edit Hariharaputran
Winner - Best Travel Film - Cyprus International Film Festival
Winner - Best Travel Film - Russian International Film Festival
Winner - Best Travel Film - Kerala Film Critics Association Awards
‘The Great Indian Road Movie’ was visualized by travelling over fifteen thousand kilometres acrossseventeen states of India.
This is the story of a nine year old blind boy who lives inthe state of Kerala, his desire to see and to know the truth about his life.
The boy’s father with the help of some well wishers arranges for a cornea transplantation surgery which brings life back to his eyes. Upon regaining vision the boy develops a wish, a wish to travel and explore thewhole of India. The boy’s father, though financially weak, sets upon this mammoth journey to fulfil his child's dream.
The father and the son start from the southern tip of India, Kanyakumari.
They walk, they hitchhike, and they travel by the cheapest public transportation available like rickety buses and in the general compartments of Trains. Theytravel by all sorts of transportation India offers, truck,tram, tractor, country boat, auto rickshaw, horsecarriage, bullock cart and even a camel.
On this soul searching journey the boy is exposed to akaleidoscope of people, cultures, languages, lifestyleand food. He is fascinated with the diversity of this vast country and the harmonious habitation of people,animals and nature.
Mahatma Gandhi’s ashram at the banks of Sabarmati River marks an enduring impression on the boy.
The journey takes the father and the son through some breath taking landscapes, the burning sun on TharDesert, the sandstorm at Jodhpur, the crosswinds atRohtang Pass, the incessant showers at Chirapunji and the snow covered Kashmir.
The unique native music of different regions sway and soothe their turbulent mind.
Along with the changing weather and topography therelationship between the father and the son also evolve. The nature reflects the churn in their mind.
On another plane this pan Indian journey is the quest of the boy to unravel the truth, the truth about self. At the end of this karmic journey through Vedic lands the boy realizes the truth.
According to the Hindu belief ‘crow’ symbolizes the soul of the departed dear ones.
In ‘The Great Indian Road Movie’ we have assimilatedthis belief through visuals.