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{{Infobox film<br />
| name = Mystic India<br />
| image = Mystic India poster.jpg<br />
| caption = ''Mystic India'' poster<br />
| director = Keith Melton<br />
| producer = [[BAPS Charities]]<br />
| writer = Mose Richards<br />
| starring = Latesh Patel<br>Rupak Mehta<br />
| narrator = [[Peter O'Toole]]<br />
| music = [[Sam Cardon]], [[Ronu Majumdar|Pandit Ronu Majumdar]]<br />
| cinematography = Reed Smoot<br />
| editing = AKS Media Network <br />
| distributor = Giant Screen Films<br />
| released = {{Film date|2004}}<br />
| runtime = 40 min.<br />
| country = [[India]]<br />
| language = Hindi<br/>English<br />
| budget =<br />
| gross =<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''''Mystic India''''' is a 2004 large format film (commonly known as the [[IMAX]] format) about India's culture, people, and traditions. It is told through the 12,000&nbsp;km barefoot journey throughout 18th century India undertaken by the [[Hindu]] adolescent ascetic Nilkanth, later known in life as [[Swaminarayan]] by his followers. The film was directed by Keith Melton and financed and produced by [[BAPS Charities]]. The film is available in Hindi, English, French, and Spanish.<br />
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==Cast==<br />
*Latesh Patel as young Nilkanth. At His youngest, this is when He sets out on His journey, and during his early experiences during the journey.<br />
*Rupak Mehta as older Nilkanth. Portrayed to represent Him as he gets older during his 7-year journey, as it comes to an end.<br />
*[[Peter O'Toole]] as the narrator for the English version of the film, describing and elaborating with each scene that passes.<br />
*Total Cast: Mystic India incorporated 45,000 cast members. The scene of [[Arti (Hinduism)|arti]] being performed at the Akshardham alone had 9,000 cast members in it, while the scene of the Rath Yatra had 8,000 cast members.<ref name="site">{{Cite web|url=http://www.mysticindia.com/behindthescene/index.htm|title=Mystic India - Behind the Scene}}</ref><br />
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==Plot==<br />
===Nilkanth’s Journey===<br />
Nilkanth walked 12,000 kilometers around the Indian subcontinent over a span of 7 years. His journey took him through the "dense jungles, fertile plains, majestic mountains, mighty rivers, and peaceful coastlines" of India.<ref name="Synopsis">{{Cite web|url=http://www.mysticindia.com/filmsynopsis|title=Mystic India - Film Synopsis}}</ref> This journey included the exploration of "India’s silent spirituality" and its appropriation as a "mystic land of meditation, contemplation and enlightenment."<ref name="Synopsis" /><br />
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===Leaving Home===<br />
On 29 June 1792 at the age of 11, Nilkanth left home "to begin his life work of establishing ekantik dharma."<ref>Dave, H.T. Life and Philosophy of Shree Swaminarayan. 2nd edition. London: George Allen and Unwin, 1974.</ref> Nilkanth took very few possessions with him on his journey. Known articles include a loin cloth, "a rosary, a kerchief, a piece of cloth for filtering water and a small manuscript."<ref>Parekh, Manilal C. Shri Svaminarayan. 3rd edition. Bombay: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1980</ref><br />
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===In the Himalayas===<br />
Nilkanth first travelled to the Himalayan Mountains and reached Badrinath during October 1792.<ref name="Kim">Kim, Hanna. Being Swaminarayan: The Ontology and Significance of Belief in the Construction of a Gujarati Diaspora. 1st. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001. 286</ref> Soon thereafter, he reached Nepal and performed austerities by standing on one leg in meditation for four months.<ref name="Kim" /><br />
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===At Jagannath Puri===<br />
"Leaving the Himalayas, Nilkanth went through Bengal to Jagannathpuri in the east."<ref name="Williams">Williams, Raymond. An Introduction to Swaminarayan Hinduism. 1st. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. 15</ref> It is here that Nilkanth took part in the Rath Yatra, a festival dedicated to the pulling of Lord Jagannath’s [[murti]] on a royal chariot.<ref name="Synopsis" /><br />
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===In South India===<br />
From Jagannath Puri, Nilkanth traveled to South India. "He visited the sacred places associated with the life of [[Ramanuja]], including his birthplace at [[Sriperumbudur]] and the famous pilgrimage temple at [[Srirangam]]. Nilkanth’s journey through Kanchipuram, Kumbakonam, Madurai, and Rameshwaram took him to the southern tip of India."<ref name="Williams" /><br />
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===In Gujarat===<br />
On 21 July 1799, Nilkanth’s journey finally ended in the town of Loj, Gujarat. In Loj at the age of 18, Nilkanth met [[Muktanand Swami]], a senior leader of a group of ascetics who followed the [[Vaishnava]] teachings of their guru [[Ramanand Swami]].<ref name="Kim" /><br />
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==Soundtrack==<br />
The music for the film was a joint effort between Sam Cardon, Ronu Majumdar, and [[BAPS]] musicians. Due to this diverse talent pool, the music for Mystic India covers a wide spectrum, ranging from western symphony to Indian traditional music.<ref name="site" /><br />
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==Production==<br />
The film was shot during two different time periods, March to May 2003 and January to February 2004.<ref name="site" /> The shooting was done at over 100 different locations, some as high as 13,000 feet. The most cinematically appealing scene is during the Rath Yatra festival in Jagannathpuri. The shot included chariots over five stories tall and over 8,000 participants.<ref name="site" /><br />
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==Reception==<br />
===Critical reception===<br />
According to movie review website Rotten Tomatoes, Mystic India received an overall critic approval rating of 86%. Top critic Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel said that the film "utterly fills the screen with wondrous images of a place that few will ever have the chance to explore".<ref name="Tomato">{{Cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mystic_india/|title=Mystic India|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] }}</ref> Top critic Philip Wuntch of the Dallas Morning News said "the film celebrates India’s diversity and makes a strong and moving plea for unity among the peoples of the world".<ref name="Tomato" /><br />
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===Awards===<br />
Mystic India received the Audience’s Choice Award at the 10th International Large Format Film Festival at La Geode in Paris, France. The festival lasted from 12 to 31 January in 2005. Mystic India was one of nine large format films selected to be screened at the festival.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.swaminarayan.org/news/2005/01/mysticindia/index.htm|title = News of BAPS - 'Mystic India' Wins 'The Audience's Choice Prize'}}</ref> Mystic India was also accredited with the honor of "Most Popular Film" at the San Jose IMAX Film Festival.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mystic India wows select audience|url=http://india-herald.com/mystic-india-wows-select-audience-p761-1.htm|accessdate=19 April 2013|newspaper=India Herald}}</ref><br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
* {{official website|http://www.mysticindia.com/|''Mystic India'' Official Website}}<br />
*{{imdb title|id=0400675|title=Mystic India}}<br />
*[http://www.asiexpo.com/club/articles_show.php?no=186&categorie=cinema/ Review in Chronique Asiexpo (French)]<br />
<br />
[[Category:IMAX short documentary films]]<br />
[[Category:Swaminarayan Sampradaya]]<br />
[[Category:2004 documentary films]]<br />
[[Category:2004 films]]<br />
[[Category:History of India on film]]<br />
[[Category:Films scored by Sam Cardon]]<br />
[[Category:2004 Indian films]]</div>Hafilhafi