Meera Vohra (BOMBAY TIMES; February 3, 2019)

Kumbh and Bollywood are inseparable. Many of us have grown up on the done-to-death filmy line, ‘Kumbh ke mele mein bichade hue bhai’. That love affair, which dates back to the black-and-white era, continues till date. The ongoing Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, like the grand festival in earlier years, has been generating a lot of interest among filmmakers, who are keen on capturing the largest human congregation for the big screen.

PROJECTS IN THE PIPELINE
Director Prakash Jha, who has made films like Raajneeti and Gangaajal, was recently spotted at the Kumbh Mela and it seems that he turned his spiritual sojourn into a work trip — he reportedly did a recce for his upcoming film there. “The director is likely to shoot some of the scenes for his forthcoming film on one of the important maha snan days of the mela. Accompanied by his team, the director had explored the mela area extensively,” a source tells us.

The Bhoole Bhatke Shivir, the camp that reunites the people separated from their families during the Kumbh, is all set to be the theme of the next project of producer Siddharth Roy Kapur. “Some members of the production house came to meet me in October last year, as they wanted to make a film on my father, late Rajaram Tiwari, and his work of reuniting the people who get lost during the mela. In November, I was invited to Mumbai for a meeting with Siddharth,” says Umesh Chandra Tiwari, who is now the president of the organisation running the camp.

Director Shree Narayan Singh of Toilet - Ek Prem Katha fame intends to capture some moments of the Kumbh on his visit to Prayagraj. “My next film is based in this space and I wanted to see and observe Kumbh more closely so that when I start shooting, this visit helps me recreate the scene for the film,” he says.

Work is already on for a documentary on Kumbh by Subhash Ghai’s production house. The Taal director will be visiting the mela sometime this month. “The Kumbh is being covered by us with the intention of making a documentary by using Virtual Reality (VR) technology. We have plans to send the documentary to world libraries, including that of the UNESCO, so that the world gets to know what the mela is all about. Kumbh Mela, I feel, is the biggest example of our rich cultural heritage. The documentary is being made under my supervision, for which I have even penned the script,” Ghai says.

He adds, “Hindi films have a strong connect with Kumbh Mela as a lot of our stories in the past have revolved around the lost and found formula. Even the heroes of our films came from shores of river Ganga — that also gives us the best visuals, if we want to depict Indian culture. Now, the world is also taking notice of this biggest human gathering as the Kumbh Mela has also been recognised by the UNESCO as India’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. Even in the past, a well-researched documentary on the Kumbh had been made by us, which is being used by Tourism Department.”


DIFFICULT TO GET PERMISSION TO SHOOT IN KUMBH: FILMMAKERS
Getting permission from the Mela authorities to shoot with a big crew with known artistes, however, is a difficult proposition. So some of the filmmakers are going in for guerrilla shoot, during the mela. Film writer Dhiraj Mishra, who is making his directorial debut with his film Vimoksha, says, “The major part of my film is based on Kumbh, so I will resort to some guerrilla shooting, as the Mela administration is reluctant to give permission for a proper shoot, closer to the major snans, due to security reasons.”

Line producer Sanjay Verma, who has got queries for nearly 25 projects based on Kumbh, tells us, “We are still awaiting permission for their shoots. In some cases, we are going in for guerrilla shoot. A film from South, with a crew of 200 people, wanted to shoot during the Kumbh. But as it would have been difficult to move them from one place to the other in the mela area, the idea was dropped. Everyone wants to shoot during this time as it is difficult to recreate the flavour of Kumbh later,” he says.

Filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia, who was in Prayagraj to shoot some sequence of his film, Milan Talkies, a few days back, says, “Kumbh Mela cannot be recreated. Though I did not go to the mela area this time, but my first film Haasil was shot there. The magnitude, vibrant colour and diversity of the Kumbh Mela cannot be recreated – that is what makes it so special from a filmmaker’s perspective,” says the Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster director.

“Shooting in Kumbh is once-in-a-lifetime experience,” says Mukkabaaz actor Vineet Kumar Singh, who was in Prayagraj during the last Kumbh (2013) for the shoot of an Anurag Kashyap film. “We had stayed in the tents in the mela area and had the camera’s ready. Humne shoot kaafi natural tarike se kiya tha. I went like an ordinary traveller to meet the sadhus, which was canned and later incorporated in the film. We became part of the massive crowd. It was both great fun and challenge to shoot in the Kumbh Mela,” he says.

Filmmaker Siddharth Roy Kapur has bought the rights to the true-life story of a man who reunited around 14 lakh people who were lost during the once-in-three-years pilgrimage in Allahabad
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 4, 2018)

Biopics are the flavour of the season and Siddharth Roy Kapur has jumped on the bandwagon, having acquired the rights to Rajaram Tiwari’s life. The late good samaritan reunited around 14 lakh people who had got separated from their families at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad. The film is titled Bhule Bhatke Tiwari and will go into scripting soon.

“Though based on a true story, the writers will fictionalise a few incidents, giving the screenplay a dramatic touch and a cinematic vision to make the story interesting for the audience,” informed a source close to the development.

In 1946, when he was 18, Rajaram Tiwari attended the Kumbh Mela for the first time. He was moved by the sight of an elderly woman who had got lost in the crowd. Though she was a complete stranger, he went out of his way to trace her missing relatives and reunite them. The joy he experienced and saw for himself following this selfless gesture gave him the idea of hunting out others who had gone missing at the fair, the largest peaceful gathering in the world.

For 70 years, till his death on August 20, 2016, at the age of 88, he continued to help people. His social initiative is called Khoya Paya Shivir/Lost and Found, and his son Umesh who inherited it as his legacy has carried it forward. “It was Umesh who shared his father’s story with Sid and his team of writers and it instantly captured their imagination. The film goes on floors in the second half of 2019 and noticeable names from the film industry will form a part of the ensemble cast,” concluded the source. 

The late Samaritan devoted 71 years to reuniting those separated at the Kumbh Mela
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; November 29, 2018)

Bollywood's revered dialogue, 'Kumbh ke mele mein bichchad gaye' might soon be tweaked around as producer Siddharth Roy Kapur vies for a film on the life of Rajaram Tiwari, who dedicated his life to reuniting those separated in the festival.

Bhule Bhatke Tiwari, as the late Samaritan was fondly called, is set to be represented in Kapur's film after the latter met his son, Umesh, to acquire the rights to depict their lives on screen. A source tells mid-day, "Tiwari's work has received global attention. Several publications have covered his 71-year-long mission to help people [lost in the mela, reunite]. His son, who resides in Allahabad, now carries forward this distinctive legacy. Siddharth and his team met Umesh and his family in Allahabad and Mumbai, before sealing the deal to acquire the life rights of Rajaram Tiwari, Umesh Tiwari and the family."

Tiwari had kicked off the noble deed in 1946, and helped reunite lakhs of people. The cultural festival sees a large gathering each year, with an approximate 120 million people having reportedly visited it in 2013.