India with Sanjeev Bhaskar is a British travel documentary series produced by the BBC in which actor and comedian Sanjeev Bhaskar travels to India with director Deep Sehgal to investigate the culture, traditions and history of this ever-changing country.
The series was filmed by the BBC to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the independence of India and Pakistan.
It originally aired in the UK on BBC Two from 30 July to 20 August, 2007. There are four hour-long episodes in the series.
India with Sanjeev Bhaskar premiered in South Africa on DStv's BBC Knowledge channel on Friday 17 October 2008, at 21h30.
Repeats
Saturdays: 04h00, 19h00
Mondays: 09h00, 14h30
Synopsis
India was once regarded as an almost mythical land of untold riches, the Taj Mahal and the tiger. But behind the Bollywood kitsch and the lurid colours, India is a country coming of age.
The four-part series India with Sanjeev Bhaskar is a fascinating quest to get under the skin of modern India.
Today, India is a country where the world’s finest software engineers live alongside abject poverty, while state-of-the-art call centres nestle in amongst shantytowns and crumbling temples. Over the past 60 years, India has undergone incredible transformation.
Actor and comedian Sanjeev Bhaskar is an ideal guide for bringing this extraordinary country to life for a 21st century audience.
Born and raised in Britain but of Indian ancestry, Bhaskar is best known for writing and performing in the British series The Kumars at No. 42, which won two International Emmy Awards, three BAFTA nominations, as well as Best New TV Comedy at the British Comedy Awards.
With thoughtful insight and his signature humour, Bhaskar travels to the deserts of Rajasthan, the lush tea plantations of Darjeeling, high into the Himalayas, and along the holy river Ganges.
He learns how India’s ancient religious traditions still shape the country today. He explores the ‘new’ India, where business and entertainment are booming. He encounters the legacy of Partition on an emotional journey to his father’s former home, now in Pakistan.
He also finds time to make a cameo appearance in a soap opera, witness the birth of a baby camel, and get caught up in Holi, one of the world’s most colourful festivals.
From the riot of sights and sounds that characterizes Indian life to the lush visual beauty of the landscape, this atmospheric series is a detailed portrait of the world’s emerging superpower.
Bhaskar’s travelogue is revelatory, entertaining and very personal, making India with Sanjeev Bhaskar a vibrant celebration of modern India.