Documentary film-makers S. Krishnaswamy and Mohana Krishnaswamy's creation, ‘A Different Pilgrimage’, which explores ancient India’s impact on South East Asia, will be screened on the inaugural day of the India Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival on May 13.
Photographed by eminent cinematographer, Madhu Ambat, the film crew led by the Krishnaswamys explored over a hundred locations in Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam over a year for the making of the feature-length documentary.
Historian Lokesh Chandra has supported the project as consultant.
Borabudur and Prambanan in Java, Angkor Wat and Bayon in Cambodia, Phimai and Pnom Rung in Thailand, Wat Phu Champasak in Laos, Mi Son and Po Nagar in Vietnam, and Baisaki in Bali are among the centuries-old, temples and monuments of Indian tradition that come alive in the documentary, besides some some temples in the region, where daily worship has been going on uninterrupted, over the centuries.
The link does not stop there. There's lots to be amazed by. For instance, the Rajaguru to the king of Thailand traces his ancestry to India by seven centuries and recites ancient Tamil Bhakthi hymns.
Also hear the Rajaguru to the monarch of Cambodia talk about his role in the royal court to perform Hindu rituals, and see a spectacular Ramayana Ballet performed by 200 Muslim artistes in Indonesia.
Since the documentary is aimed at an audience familiar with the Indian ethos, Krishnaswamy Associates has simultaneously made a four-part Documentary (25 minutes each), titled ‘Tracking Indian Footmarks’, to make it accessible to a global audience.
