'Amrit: Nectar of Immortality' is a film shot during the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar in 2010. Reputed to be the biggest such gathering of people, the Mela attracted 50 million people. This film, directed and scripted by Jonas Scheu and Philipp Eyer tells the story of the Kumbh Mela and the river Ganga through the voices of the people that visited the river during this event.
The film begins with scenes of the massive gathering that is the Kumbh Mela. The visuals capture the diversity and passion of the various people that flock to this holy river. People interact with the Ganga in several ways. Some make a pilgrimage to the river, others settle by its banks, and still others wage a war to protect its flow. The film interviews several of these devotees and attempts to understand their relationship with the river.
Some of the people extensively interviewed in this film are:
Shri Siddhartha Krishna Brahmachari: Siddharta teaches in the Shri Kailas Ashram Brahmavidya Peetham (institutes of Vedantic Research and Studies) and looks after his blind and ill father Prabhuji on the banks of the Ganges.
Narmada Devi Puri Ma: Narmada Puri came in the 1970s at the age of 24 from Germany to Haridwar where she became disciple to a Yogi. Since then, she lives in Haridwar next to the Ganga.
Sunderlal and Vimla Bahuguna: The Bahugunas have struggled against the deforestation of the forests of the Himalaya and against the increasing obstruction of the Ganges by dams.
G.D Agarwal: Dr.G. D. Agarwal is an environmental engineer who has been fighting against the dams built on the Bhagirathi. The film's website also includes a short clip of Dr. Agarwal.
Watch the entire film here