Jaya Ganga

1996
1h 34m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Nishant, a young Indian writer living in Paris, is journeying down the Ganges, from its source in the Himalayas to the sea. Haunted by the fantasy, or the memory, of a beautiful Parisian wom... Read allNishant, a young Indian writer living in Paris, is journeying down the Ganges, from its source in the Himalayas to the sea. Haunted by the fantasy, or the memory, of a beautiful Parisian woman called Jaya, he plans to write a book around his voyage. On the banks of the turquoise ... Read allNishant, a young Indian writer living in Paris, is journeying down the Ganges, from its source in the Himalayas to the sea. Haunted by the fantasy, or the memory, of a beautiful Parisian woman called Jaya, he plans to write a book around his voyage. On the banks of the turquoise Ganges, one morning, he chances upon Zehra, an irresistible poetess-dancing girl in the tr... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination total

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Storyline

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Trivia
The first feature film to be shot in Gaumukh, the source of the River Ganges in the Himalayas, India.

Quotes
Zehra: Some write with words, others with silence.

User reviews3

Featured review

6/10

It's a poem, but not on the river

Jaya Ganga is an apparent tribute to the great river Ganga. The film narrates the story of Nishant, an Indian writer from Paris, and his journey on the river. He undertakes the pilgrimage of the course of the river in search of his fantasy woman Jaya, but he meets Zehra. Nishant falls in love with her and asks her to accompany him for the rest of his journey.

The good parts of the film are the photography and locations. The journey of Nishant starts from the Gaumukh and ends at Banaras. The river and all the sceneries are photographed with pleasing authenticity. But I'm slightly disappointed that the plot could not infuse the rest of the river's course. The secondary Indian characters' appearances and dialogues look and sound genuine.

The not-so-good parts are the very common cinematic elements and tropes that are trademarks of tragic romance and independent art films. The spiritual journey, the mysterious woman and her charm, the beautiful courtesan and ambiguities in her life, the tragic romance, and other allegories galore. You always feel like you have seen this tale somewhere before.

Jaya Ganga has allegorical poetry, but, in the end, it is a rather ordinary film.