Return to Rajapur (2006)

In a mystical Indian village, two women make a unique connection to a man they encounter.

Director:

Nanda Anand

Writer:

Nanda Anand

Stars:

Lynn Collins, Kelli Garner, Justin Theroux

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lynn Collins	...	Sara Reardon
Kelli Garner	...	Samantha Hartley / Samantha Doyle
Justin Theroux	...	Jeremy Reardon
Manoj Bajpayee	...	Jai Singh (as Manoj Bajpai)
Bhanu Goswami	...	Amar
Rita Joshi	...	Shefali
Yusuf Hussain	...	Vikram Singh Rathore
Vinit Kumar	...	Lal
Frank Langella	...	Ned Bears
Sonal Jha	...	Hotel Maid
Gambeer Singh	...	Gambeer
Tan Singh	...	Clerk
Alam Bhai	...	Builder
Badri Singh	...	Waiter
Bhom Singh	...	Waiter

Storyline

Born and raised by her grandparents in Connecticut, Samantha Hartley (Kelli Garner) travels to Rajasthan, India, where her parents, Sara (Lynn Collins) and Jeremy (Justin Theroux) had their honey-moon during the year 1983. At Rajapur Railway Station she is met by Amar (Bhanu Goswami), who takes her to the Desert Hotel, even though she had planned to stay at Niwas Palace. When she insists, he takes her there, and she meets Vikram Singh Rathore (Yusuf Hussain) and his sullen cousin, Jai Singh (Manoj Bajpai), the owner, who makes it clear that she cannot reside there. She looks around, meets Jai's niece, Shefali (Rita Joshi), and is mistaken for a Grants and Proposal Student, Doyle. She decides to assume this name, is allocated a room, and sets about to investigate why her grandmother not only blamed but also filed a lawsuit against Jai for the death of her son.

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Taglines:

Love conquers all, Life is defined by Destiny

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA India

Language:

English Hindi

Release Date:

26 April 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Searching for Sara

Filming Locations:

India

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anand Productions, IFC Films, On the Road

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The entire crew was housed at a palace during the shoot.

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Soundtracks

"Pallo Latke Re Marho Pallo Latke"
Performed by Vishal Vaid
Music by Richard Horowitz

User Reviews

Tourist fantasy

Maudlin fantasy of being swept off your feet by 'exotic' India, which apparently consists of well-kept palace hotels and desert sunsets. Really, the Indian Tourist Board couldn't have put it better themselves. The plot is utterly contrived, the romance silly and unconvincing, the drama so overcooked it's as if someone left it out to bake for weeks in the Thar Desert sun.

How 22 year-old Samantha, shy as a bunny and totally clueless, ever got to India on her own is a challenge to the imagination. As is the reason her mother married a vain alcoholic with clear designs on her money. And this is only the beginning to the chain of illogic that runs throughout the film and governs every predictable turn. Shamelessly romantic view of India and human relations is likely to make your stomach turn. But for anyone who's a genuine fan of syrupy soap opera, I guess this cosmetically-enhanced version of Rajasthan actually fits the material quite well.