The movie's story is written by its producer L C Singh himself, who grew up in the temple city and studied in the Banaras Hindu University. Pankuj Parashar is the movie's director.
'Banaras - A Mystic Love Story' has elements of mysticism, spiritualism and existentialism.
Character sketches
Urmila Matondkar plays Shwetambari, the only child of her rich parents (Raj Babbar and Dimple Kapadia). She is the main protagonist of the film. She faces the reality of life after she falls in love with a low caste music teacher.
Ashmit Patel plays Soham, a mystic musician and a protégé of Babaji (Naseeruddin Shah). Soham falls in love with Shwetambari while being fully aware of the perils. But the caste difference does not stop him from loving her.
Naseeruddin Shah plays Babaji, a mystical character who knows the mysteries of life and keeps them to himself. An enlightened soul himself, he helps Soham finds a vision in life.
Dimple Kapadia plays Gayatri Devi and Raj Babbar plays her husband Mahendranath. The two are extremely devoted to their family and the happiness of their daughter Shwetambari.
Akash Khurana plays Dr. Bhattacharya, a distinguished psychiatrist. He confronts Shwetambari with his interpretations on perception and reality.
The film tells the story of two people who fall in love and meet opposition from the conservative and orthodox mindsets of the society within the holy city. Shwetambari is forced to leave the city.
17 years later, Shwetambari becomes a world teacher in philosophy and religion. She is confronted with a final choice whether to return to Banaras to meet her dying father or to continue to deny all attachments.
The film is shot on locations in Varanasi in a span of 45 days (with two days shooting in Mauritius).
The film's other credits include cinematography by Nirav Shah, art by Nitish Roy, screenplay by L C Singh and Javed Siddiqui, dialogue by Javed Siddiqui and choreography by Saroj Khan.
Movie Review : Nothing mystifying (1/10) If you hope to stumble upon some life-transforming truth in director Pankuj Parashar's 'Banaras - A Mystic Love Story', you will b...
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