Akash Sagar Chopra rekindles hope in the strife-torn world with his magnum opus ‘The Walk of Hope’ of Sri M

The film has also won a multitude of international accolades, including as the ‘Best Documentary’ at Film Fest International (Berlin FFI) 2023 and the Global Peace Award at The International Film Festival The Hague

For him, ‘the journey continues’- beyond lives and births. The monumental journey of Padma Bhushan awardee (2020) and best-selling author Sri M, who embarked on a remarkable 7,500 km odyssey across India, traversing 11 states from Kanyakumari to Kashmir is quite appropriately hailed as ‘The Walk of Hope 2015-2016’. Spread over 15 months, it is presumed to be the longest peace march in Indian history.

The epic saga of Sri M has been captured for eternity by filmmaker Akash Sagar Chopra, grandson of Ramanand Sagar, who has directed the magnum opus. The 97-minute celluloid spectacle promises to ignite a flame of hope and peace in a world gripped by turmoil.

‘Walking with M’ has already garnered international acclaim, with a successful run across eight European countries, screening at a diverse “community film festival” circuit that is reaching communities of every hue. The film has also won a multitude of international accolades, including as the ‘Best Documentary’ at Film Fest International (Berlin FFI) 2023 and the Global Peace Award at The International Film Festival The Hague and nominations for ‘Best Director’ of a Documentary, Historical Interest Award, and ‘Best Editing’ of a documentary.

The documentary has also been recognized 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.

“Walking With M” embodies the indomitable spirit of humanity and traces the story behind a single man’s unfathomable attempt to ignite the flame of hope and peace.

Sagar Pictures Entertainment, in association with the Manav Ekta Mission, presented the Kolkata premiere of the award-winning documentary on August 31, at Priya Cinema Hall in the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta in Kolkata. Nothing possibly could have been more topical and relevant than this at this point in time!

Its first Indian screening was at The Royal Opera House in Mumbai drew an unprecedented standing ovation.

The docu-feature, unveils the monumental journey of Sri M, born as Mumtaz Ali, an Indian spiritual master, author, educationist, and an advocate of global 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 together India’s cultural diversity.

However, its making was not without challenges. The cinematic marvel, which took seven years in the making, is made with over 1800 hours of archival footage.

Sri M, who heads The Satsang Foundation, said, “Covering over 7,500km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, we traversed through 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.”

In his hour of glory, the Director, said, “Our attempt with this documentary is to give everyone an opportunity to be part of this transformative 7500 km journey and witness an unseen movement of global history while exploring the diverse, beautiful, and ever-changing landscape of India.”

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

‘Walking With M’ is set to have multiple screenings across Indian cities and educational institutes.

Sagar Pictures Entertainment is already in talks with distribution partners for a worldwide release.