Strings - 2006

Story

This largely English language film is set, oddly enough, against one of India?s mega events of the Hindu faith, recognized as the world?s largest for its magnitude. The biggest Indian Spiritual showcase of Indian heritage ?MAHA KUMBH? is the backdrop of the film ? ?Strings?. The film is actually shot during the event itself.
The pilgrimage city of Nasik plays host to the ?Maha Kumbh? held once in twelve years depending on the cosmic position of the Sun, Moon & Jupiter in a particular formation according to the almanac. According to the Hindu mythology there was a battle for ?Amrut? a sort of nectar granting immortality, between the Gods & the Demons. Nasik had the privilege of being one of the places where nectar fell from the urn whilst the battle was on. Over 50 million people come to the ?Maha Kumbh? to pay homage & sustain within themselves a hope to achieve immortality. It has a ritual of bathing in the river that absolves the devotees of their sins. It is one of the biggest events that over whelms one by its sheer magnitude with respect to numbers and faith of the devotees who come together to experience ?the great fair of the vessel of immortality? the ?Maha Kumbh?. Strings is the story of an English man Warren, Krishna the daughter of Pandit Dinanath & Maya his friend.

Strings follows Warren Hastings (introducing actor, Adam Bedi), a British youth who has been persuaded to experience the Mahakumbh at the behest of his email friend, Maya (Sandhya Mridul), a cosmopolitan and Indian urban girl. Warren has another mission though. Warren is plagued by a sort of unfulfilled quest, for an understanding of the mysticism of India, beyond his realms of imagination. This has been nurtured within him by the writings of his grandfather in a personal diary written during his posting in India. Warren is a sensitive person & hence has set upon a journey to unravel the secrets. His quest is provoked by the reasoning of his grandfather as written in the personal diary.

Warren then meets Krishna (Tannishtha Chatterjee), the only child of a temple priest Pandit Dinanath (Vineet Kumar). Pandit Dinanath a widower has brought up Krishna since the loss of his wife at child birth. Krishna is filled with a sort of guilt & remorse because of her mother?s death for which she unconsciously blames herself. Pandit Dinanath by his teaching & logic has freed Krishna from her guilt. Krishna has grown up with an essence of Indian culture & its values, holding firm opinion & respect for her culture & religious traditions.

Krishna is a blend of having imbibed the richness of Indian culture while fitting in with contemporary life and thinking. Warren & Krishna meet in the backdrop of chaos & conflicts. Their diversity soon brings them close to each other, and is soon privy to the orchestrations of love. For her to accept the feelings she has for Warren and gives in to a forbidden love, is difficult. She does so define the tenets of her upbringing. Their life is blissful & stands tall to the power of togetherness until one day Krishna sheds her inhibitions & succumbs to her feelings. It is the tale of a girl who stands tall to the virtue of love and who is ready to shed her ethos even to the extent of defying her father, who has sacrificed his whole life for her happiness. The most hurtful aspect is the need to question her father, who has been her single minded support in life. An intriguing thought definitely is from where Krishna gathers this inner strength.

Strings is the story of life & relationship beyond the seen & foreseen.