Contentar
Best movie of this year hands down!
Humbersi
The first must-see film of the year.
Reno Rangan
India, a country of unity in vast diversity. It has given life changing experience for many. That is why it is called a destination where one can find the meaning of life. Many movies are made of India based subjects in different shades including the Oscar winner 'Slumdog Millionaire'.Movies can display only good stuffs or as script demand they create those better atmospheres and vice versa. But in documentaries it is different, it exposes all the good and bad stuffs without hesitating. This movie is one of those India based themes which focus on a sport event called 'Mumbai Xpress' where a team of two members have to drive an auto-rickshaw from the east coast city, Mumbai to the west coast, Chennai in 12 days. When I first read the synopsis of this movie I totally fascinated about the topic and its contents. So I thank Mr Mushegh Baghdhasaryan for giving me an opportunity to see this wonderful movie.'Hit the Road: India' centers around the characters American realtor, Richard Gazarian and Canadian chef, Keith King. As their journey begins among other six participants from India's commercial capital it takes us along peeping around the breathtaking country's landscapes. Initially they face a couple of troubles, but as going further they come through it and enjoy it even though they are exhausted.It looks so easy race when we say it, but India is considered among one of the toughest roads to drive on it. Especially the cities are very dangerous. It is because of India's population density where people easily break the law rules and most of the time cops won't mind unless it end in an accident. But for the outsiders, it is a heavy challenge to blend in and to drive in those conditions.For Ric and Keith the race did not go well in the earlier phase, but they came through and finished it. They met some interesting people along the way for a short period of time. Some of them did not bother from touching these two without their permission. Especially in a scene a drunken man hugs Keith and kisses in his cheek, that was so hilarious. That is so different compared to the west and gives the impression of friendly type people without any intention. As much as they enjoyed the riding, equally faced the worst. But all the above it is their's once in a lifetime experience. They will remember it throughout their life and so we are possibly.This documentary was one of the finest among the best at its cinematography. Don't expect this movie is all about the race. Aside the race it classified the India's city roads and countryside roads with lives and beauties surrounded it. It began with a normal pace, then later rushed too fast towards the end.Great theme, but the plot was a little weaker. It was not a scripted movie to to re-write according to the commercial purpose. As a Documentary movie they have taken as it came their way and nothing we can do about it. But we must appreciate the effort they have made. It is not easy to make a movie when it is raining especially in a country with infrastructure is not at its best. Also mansoon was the right season to shoot because the camera capture some of interior beauty of the sub-continent gives great pleasure to watch. Like it or not, no matter whatever will be your judgement it is a must see for at least once. Finally, I would love to see Ric and Keith again in an another adventure taking place in a different country as its sequel. Somewhere in South America would be awesome.
Patryk Czekaj
In our technologically advanced era there is an endless amount of methods for exploring a foreign land and it's often impossible to choose one that will best suit our needs. Given that nowadays even the seemingly most luxurious options tend to be somewhat affordable, people often choose those, which are the least tiring and the most pleasurable. Yet, there is still a small group of people willing to take up the challenge and begin a life-changing journey into the unknown. Although very short, that's an adequate summary of what happens in Hit the Road: India.Directed by Armenian brothers Gor and Mushegh Baghdasaryan, Hit the Road: India closely follows two friends, Richard Gazarian and Keith King, as they travel across the country in a rickshaw, a means of transport that most would probably call old-fashioned and impractical. It's not an ordinary expedition, however. As a two-man team they've decided to participate in Mumbai Express, a 12-day-long rickshaw rally across India, along with 5 other adventure craving pairs. Although very enthusiastic at first, they gradually come to realize it's a race that demands not only lots of mental and physical strength, but also a great deal of determination and good will.The documentary doesn't really focus on the race per se, but on the experiences that the two men have during their long trip. Days filled with enthusiasm and luck often intertwine with days marked by pain and signs of resignation, creating a very diverse travelogue of the most engaging kind. Mixed emotions only confirm that even though the decision to take part in the event might've been a bit foolish, it will surely have a greatly rewarding effect.In the form of an audiovisual travel journal, the boys present their many escapades with the help of camera's attentive and inquisitive eye. Due to many wonderfully picturesque shots the journey is blessed with excitement, vigor, and that rare kind of beauty worthy of a true travel documentary. Complemented by an interesting, often emotional narration by the travelers, Hit the Road: India only proves that India is a country of great allure, but the further we go the more tiring such an unusual expedition might soon become.Apart from its huge attention to eye-popping landscape shots, the camera offers a close insight into the everyday lives of Indians, who are often enormously fascinated and amused by the presence of white people. Scenes that were the most appealing to me, however, were the ones filmed by a camera hidden inside the tuk-tuk. Those short sequences have the ability to exhibit genuine feelings in a funny and surprising way.Even though I'm perfectly aware that the directors' intentions wasn't to concentrate on the entire course of the rally, I would've loved to see what all the other participants felt about this challenging adventure. With supplementary, probably completely different perspectives on the whole thing, the film would've gained an additional driving force to give the story a more meaningful tone. It's a lot of fun to watch the guys in action, but there are a few slower moments that could otherwise be improved by an alternative point of view.Hit the Road: India is not a remarkable documentary, but an inspiring one. What makes the film enticing is its lively and eventful depiction of the journey, meant to encourage the viewers to take a risk and experiment a bit during their own journeys. As I've mentioned earlier, there are really lots of exciting and original ways that will make an initially ordinary getaway unforgettable. So, instead of buying a plane or train ticket next time why don't you just hop on a motorbike and take a cross-country road trip somewhere in India or in any other place that still waits to be fully explored?Original review here: http://twitchfilm.com/2013/12/review-hit-the-road-india-an-inspiring- and-vibrant-travelogue.html
andy-574-298326
My wife and I were very excited to see this film having seen the trailer, which was excellent. We have just returned from India in a trip from Chennai to Mumbai so we were really looking forward to seeing some familiar places.Unfortunately we were let down.The film has some interesting moments and characters, but the storytelling and editing is poor. The choice of American/Canadian main characters was a bit bizarre - we would have preferred Indian.The filmmakers got some good shots but unfortunately a lot of them were spoiled by the excessive use of shallow depth of field resulting in many shots out of focus. This is an unfortunate mistake in a documentary film, where they can easily avoid this by using apertures that allow a wider depth of field, which is useful when they need to get shots quickly without having time to prepare in advance for them. However when focus was good there was some nice stuff.The music choice was generally strange throughout the film, with a moody, electronic and indy flavour that was quite dark in general. Yes that sound interesting and hipster-ish, but then you need to go the whole hog and pull it off like David Lynch. It feels like it was simply the wrong choice in this case.I really can't understand why this film currently has a rating of 9.2 from 32 reviewers - this is FAR too high. We bought the film online on the strength of the trailer but feel that perhaps a lower price would be more appropriate.
lilwormburner
A very intense , riveting documentary, it was funny, it was serious , it was educational, it was inspiring, we thoroughly enjoyed it. great job to the both of you , Keith and Ric. having been to India ourselves, myself and my hubby can relate to the traffic conditions and how incredibly dangerous it is. it is a beautiful place to travel the people there treated us well, so seeing you both experience this and you made it look so easy , despite what you both went through you made us laugh and you touched our hearts in places with your kindness towards others. the filming was great, the soundtrack was great , we enjoyed the music. for anyone has hasn't been there, it is a learning tool. you get to experience an every day life in India.the extreme danger of it all, alone gave me chills. having meet both keith and ric in our travels to Thailand, we can honestly say ,they did a great job and we are proud of them both .