Now here is a 1 hour, 37 minute long rare celluloid experience that promises to ignite a flame of hope and peace in a world gripped by turmoil and unrest of various natures, magnitudes and proportions. At its core, the international award-winning documentary film “Walking With M”, directed by Akash Sagar Chopra, grandson of Ramanand Sagar (son of Moti Sagar) of Ramayan fame, embodies the indomitable spirit of humanity and traces the story behind one man’s unfathomable attempt to ignite this flame of hope and peace.

Sagar Pictures Entertainment, in association with the Manav Ekta Mission, will be presenting the Kolkata premiere of the award-winning documentary on 31 August at the city’s iconic Priya Cinema Hall. The Indian Institute of Management Calcutta in Kolkata is also organising a special screening of the film on the previous day for its students, faculty and virtual who’s who of Kolkata. Nothing possibly could have been more topical and relevant than this at this point in time!! The screening will be followed by an interaction on the documentary with Sri M and the filmmaker Akash Chopra.

The documentary-feature unveils the monumental journey of Padmabhushan Awardee and Best-Selling Author Sri M as he embarked on an epic 7,500-kilometre odyssey across India, traversing 11 states from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. The Walk of Hope 2015-2016, over 15 months, is now hailed as the longest peace march in the history of India. Led by Sri M. Mumtaz Ali (recipient of the Padmabhushan award in 2020), an Indian spiritual author, educationist, and advocate for peace, The Walk of Hope, or the Asha Yatra, marks an arduous journey of 80 travellers who tried to bridge the chasms of discord across India, with the singular aim of bringing the diversity of India together.

The making was not without challenges. The documentary, 7 years in the making, is made with over 1800 hours of archival footage and, in the process, is a cinematic marvel directed by Chopra, the young and talented filmmaker.

‘Walking with M’ has already garnered international acclaim, with a successful run across 8 European countries, screening at a diverse “community film festival” circuit to reach as many communities as possible. The film has also won several accolades, such as Winner of Best Documentary at Film Fest International (Berlin FFI) 2023, Winner of the Global Peace Award at The International Film Festival The Hague, as well as nominations for Best Director of a Documentary, Historical Interest Award, and Best Editing of a Documentary.

The documentary has also been recognised at prestigious film festivals, including the Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival, Scandinavian International Film Awards, Stockholm City Film Festival, Paradise Film Festival in Budapest, Film South Asia in Nepal, and the Swedish International Film Festival, where it was honoured with the Outstanding Achievement Best Documentary Feature Length award.

Significantly, ‘The Walk of Hope’ captivated the hearts of millions in India and abroad who joined the movement over a period of 16 transformative months in the year 2015-16.

Sri M said, “Covering over 7,500 km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, we traversed through diverse villages, towns, and cities where we learnt a lot. More than what we could share, we ourselves discovered the true essence of Bharat—which we realised is truly united at its heart.”

“Our attempt with this documentary is to give everyone an opportunity to be part of this transformative 7,500 km journey and witness an unseen movement of global history while exploring the diverse, beautiful and ever-changing landscape of India,”  said the director, Akash Sagar Chopra, on his part.

Sagar Pictures Entertainment said that all proceeds from this film and its collections, going forward, will be donated to the cause of the Manav Ekta Mission.

“Walking With M” is now scheduled to have multiple screenings across many Indian cities and educational institutes, and Sagar Pictures Entertainment is already in talks with distribution partners for a worldwide release.