Apu and his family have moved away from the country to live in the bustling holy city of Benares. As he progresses from wide-eyed child to intellectually curious teenager, eventually studying in Kolkata, we witness his academic and moral education, as well as the growing complexity of his relationship with his mother.
The year is 1938, and Mahatma Gandhi's groundbreaking philosophies are sweeping across India, but 8-year-old Chuyia, newly widowed, must go to live with other outcast widows on an ashram. Her presence transforms the ashram as she befriends two of her compatriots.
The story is about life, love, and nirvana. Siddharth (42) is in the holy city of Banaras for the first time. One day at the ghat he sees and instantly gets hooked with the aura of Malvika (38). He is at a loss for words as this is the same girl whom he saw 17 years ago while crossing the road. Is destiny playing a game with him? Is it mere attraction? Graceful, Soulful, and Cheerful Malvika clear all his illusions as she believes in the flow of mystical energy. The undercurrents make them bond together to explore many hidden facets and at the same time, Malvika feels some interruptions. She is waiting eagerly for the sunset of 27th September. Will destiny would be kind enough to their coming together?
Set in Varanasi, an ancient city of India, Tana Bana offers a rare look at the hidden world of Moslem weavers and Hindu traders and how their lives are interwoven through the production of the silk and the beauty it creates. However, as the technology advances, the trade is threatened by computerization and globalization.
Hindu temples at Benares and Belur and the mythologies associated with them.
Max Plugin is a jaded but flamboyant relic of the 1960s. In his teens, Max ran away to California, where he met Teschlock, a charismatic ascetic and guru renowned among a small group of young followers. At that time, when Teschlock asked Max to join him and his disciples on an ashram in India, Max declined and returned home. Now, forty years later, at age 57, Max takes a journey to India to find Teschlock's grave-site, and also himself. His adventures in India, and his Castaneda-esque experiences back home, form the heart of this very unusual road movie.
A travel film combining the sounds and essence of the city of death, Varanasi.
Arresting early film images of both northern India and central and south western China.
Stretching along the river Ganges rests Varanasi, the holiest of India’s seven sacred cities, and a place where devout Hindus go to die in hopes of achieving moksha - becoming liberated from the cycle of rebirth. Hindu scriptures say that a soul has to undergo 8.4 million rebirths before reaching the human form, the only form one can attain moksha, and dying in Varanasi and being cremated along the banks of the river is believed to be the ideal way of achieving this. Several so-called ‘death hotels’ exist to accommodate believers who abandon their lives and come here in wait for death - some for as long as 40 years.
In the heart of Varanasi, moments dissolve into eternity. A micro film capturing the pulse of a city where every sunrise is a ritual and every sunset, a farewell.
At the peak of his career, billionaire Krishnakant Jhunjhunwala realizes the futility of his success at the cost of his health. Leaving his empire behind, he seeks solace in Varanasi, embarking on a spiritual journey that transcends life and death, searching for true meaning beyond material existence.
Journeying across Varanasi, Lucknow, and Muzzafarpur in India, this documentary film traces the lost traditions and the culture of tawaifs (courtesans of North India), particularly through a song sung by Rasoolan Bai, "Lagat karejwa ma chot, phool gendwa na maar" and its lesser known, earlier version "Lagat jobanwa ma chot, phool gendwa na maar" (recorded in a 1935 Gramophone recording). Weaving the past with the present, the film spans between personal stories as it interacts with historical events, ultimately leading to the decline of a great art form.
'Ganga & Me' is a Docu-Feature Film by the award winning film director Sunil Babbar. The 49 minutes film depicts the spiritual and emotional bond of a Hindu with the mother Ganga. Shot at the beautiful locales of Haridwar, Rishikesh and Varanasi, the film takes you on a spiritual journey in India. The language of the film is English.
The future Edward VIII enjoys receptions, playing polo and hunting tigers on his royal tour.
In the holy city of Varanasi, 16-year-old Ali has one of the most dangerous jobs in the world – catching poisonous snakes. The boy balances life and death on a daily basis to support his family.
Varanasi is the Indian city where Hindus go to die. Stretching along the Ganges, Varanasi holds great spiritual significance because Hindu scriptutres say that anyone who dies there will attain moksha—liberation from the cycle of rebirth. Berlin-based director Dan Braga Ulvestad captures life and death in India’s heartland in this moving documentary filled with exquisite cinematic moments. By the River starts its narrative journey with the city’s “death hotels,” dedicated apartments where people wait to die, sometimes for decades, so they can be cremated on the banks of the Ganges.