SYNOPSIS

“Indians and Chinese will rule the world” — a prophecy and a challenge from one of the unforgettable characters you will meet in MYTH AND MIGHT, a panoramic documentary that captures the drama of epic change in the world’s largest democracy.

The new superpower is emerging amid the collision of the ancient and the modern – and MYTH AND MIGHT gives you a front row seat. Explore India’s rich tapestry of myth — from the flames of the ancient cremation pyres on the Ganges to the unforgettable spectacle of Navratri festival’s tens of thousands of dancers. Experience the force of India’s might – in the mountain jungles where a war for the country’s future is being fought, to the concrete streets of the capital where millions demand justice from their government.

The colourful and charismatic Lalu opens the show. Extraordinary access to India’s powerful and successful railway minister provides a closeup of the face of power. Both beloved as a saviour of the lower castes, and reviled as a corrupt opportunist, Lalu embodies India’s hope and its contradictions.

The struggle for the soul of the new India is told through the stories of two brilliant doctors – both fiercely committed to their country, both determined to build its future. One, a rich heart surgeon, has returned home from America with a plan to build a medical system that will bring westerners to India’s door. He claims the future belongs to India. The other follows the example of his father who fought with Gandhi for India’s freedom, devoting his life to providing care and hope for India’s forgotten villagers. He fears India will dissolve into civil war.

The sublime city of Varanasi provides the backdrop for the powerful story of a father’s servitude and a son’s redemption in India’s ancient caste system. As one of India’s dalits or untouchables, Ramji Choudhury is doomed to spend his life burning bodies on the cremation pyres, but a breathtaking act of rebellion will allow his eldest son to escape the hereditary fate. On the other side of the country, a bustling prosperity masks the chilling undertow of religious intolerance and a Muslim woman fears history will repeat itself in bloody violence. And in the climax of the film, the Indian government faces off against those who have been left behind by the country’s race to the future.

Full of dazzling spectacle and unforgettable characters, MYTH AND MIGHT is a feast for the senses and a harbinger of change for the West.

CHARACTERS

Dr. Naresh Trehan

Heart surgeon, medical entrepreneur, Delhi
A rich and brilliant doctor who is as daring in his dreams for India as he is in his open-heart surgeries. But will his drive to create the new India be derailed by the limitations of the old India?

Dr. Arjun Singh

Orthopedic surgeon, Patna, Bihar province
On his one day off a week Dr. Arnand Singh does surgeries for India’s impoverished villagers. His father fought alongside Gandhi for freedom for India’s people, now Singh struggles to give them medical care their government can not.

Lalu Prasad Yadav

Minister of Railways, India
Lalu is a charismatic cowherd turned powerful politician. Lalu’s turnaround of India’s massive railway system has earned him kudos, but he is beset by charges of corruption and fears his caste-based voting blocs are divisive.

Ramji Choudhury and his son, Rajababu

Ramji Choudhury works on the sacred cremation pyres in one of the holiest of India’s cities, Varanasi. He is doomed by birth to be one of India’s dalits, or untouchables. His eldest son dreams of escaping his fate and becoming part of new India.

Sharifa Chiba

Sharifa Chiba’s is one of India’s 180 million Muslims. Six years ago the communal harmony of her life vanished when the Hindus who were next door neighbours and closest friends drove her family from their home during the riots in Gujarat. Now she wonders whether there is any place for Muslims in India.

Aruna Roy

One of India’s most honoured social activists left her civil service job 30 years ago to fight for the rights of Indian’s forgotten. When India’s landless march on the capital, she helps confront the government forces.

BROADCAST CREDITS

Directed, Written and Produced by
SUSAN TESKEY

Producer
CEDRIC MONTEIRO

India Producer
SHUBHRANSHU CHOUDHARY

Narrator
MICHAEL MURPHY

Editor
MICHAEL HANNAN

Director of Photography
MICHAEL SWEENEY csc

Field Sound Recording
CHRIS DAVIES

Original Music Composed by
KEN MYHR

Sound Design
STEVE CUPANI

Art Director / Graphic Design
STEPHEN DUTCHESHEN

Business Manager
WILMA ALEXANDER

Project Manager
ANNE EMIN

Series Producer
KELLY CRICHTON

Executive Director, CBC Documentary Programming
MARK STAROWICZ

Executives in Charge of Production
SUSAN DANDO (CBC)
CLAUDIA RUETE (ZDF)
LOWRI GWILYM (S4C)
ANN JULIENNE (FRANCE 5)

Character Voices
RAOUL BHANEJA
SURESH JOHN
JAZZ MANN
ANAND RAJARAM
RONICA SAJNANI
PAMELA SINHA
ASHA VIJAYASINGHAM

Casting Director
GAIL CARR CDC

Musicians
KIREN AHLUWALIA
GEORGE KOLLER
RAVI NAMPALLY
ERNIE TOLLAR

Production Manager
DAVID WILSON

Unit Manager
BEVERLEY HAFFNER

Associate Producer
GRIFFIN ONDAATJE

Additional Production (India)
N.P. CHEKUTTY
PAUL JOHN
VIKRAM KUMAR
ANURADHA NAGARAJ

Visual Research
MICHELLE DEMEYERE

Post Production Supervisor
PAT GOODLAND

Associate Directors
IAN CAMPBELL
PETER LEE

Resource Coordinators
ANALISA AMOROSO
MEGAN BEECKMANS

Communications Manager
NANCY BOYLE

Associate Business Managers
DINA PINO
TAMMY RAYMOND

Assistant to Susan Dando
MARIA KNIGHT

Assistant to Mark Starowicz
NADINE SIMUNIC

Additional Editing
EDWIN BALEVICIUS

Additional Camera
NANDU KUMAR

Additional Sound R.
KUMAR
S. SUBRAMANIAM

Maps
KIMBERLY MacDONALD

Voice Recording
STEVE CUPANI
RON SEARLES

Sound Effects
STEVE CUPANI

Foley Artist
FLOYD BURRELL

Foley Recordist
DON DICKSON

Colourist
ARLENE MOELKER

Online Editor
MURRAY GREEN

Acknowledgements
Shernaz Italia
Chandra Khurana
Harsh Mander
Anne Mercer
Father Cedric Prakesh, Centre for Human Rights, Justice and Peace Sachin Singh
Tomy Thomas
Anant Aaron, Wanderers Leisure Travel

Archival Sources
ANI
AP Archive
Canamedia/ITN Source
Mentorn International
Tehelka

RAGA MARU BIHAG
Performed by Shruti Sadolikar
©Music Today, Living Media India Limited