Hitting the cinemas this autumn is a movie which aims to shed light on The Beatles’ infamous 1968 trip to Rishikesh, India. The film was prompted by George Harrison’s enlightenment classes with famed spiritualist Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
It also includes John Lennon and Paul McCartney who met in each other’s hotel rooms to discuss the next Beatles album. This album went on to be called The White Album.
The film was also inspired by the book, Across The Universe – The Beatles In India. The book was also written by Ajoy Bose. It was published in 2018 and is to premiere on June 6.
The film will premiere in London, as part of the Tongues On Fire UK Asian Film Festival. It will then be fully released this Autumn.
“Historical chronicle of the enduring love affair”
“The Beatles And India is a unique historical chronicle of the enduring love affair between The Beatles and India that started more than half a century ago”, the filmakers said in a statement.
They continued, “Rare archival footage, recordings and photographs, eye-witness accounts and expert comments along with location shoots across India, bring alive the fascinating journey of George, John, Paul and Ringo from their high octane celebrity lives in the West to a remote Himalayan ashram in search of spiritual bliss that inspires an unprecedented burst of creative songwriting”.
They also added, “It is the first serious exploration of how India shaped the development of the greatest ever rock band and their own pioneering role bridging two vastly different cultures”.
A soundtrack album will also accompany this film. This will also feature contemporary cover versions from Indian artists of Beatles songs inspired by the track.
Indian singer/songwriter Nikhil D’Souza also sings the first of the tracks on this album. D’Souza sings a cover of John Lennons “India, India”. Lennon recorded this track in 1980. You can also check out D’Souza’s track below.
The track was also not released until it appeared on the John Lennon Signature Box.
Tracklist for the Beatles and India:
- Tomorrow Never Knows – Kissnuka
- Mother Nature’s Son – Karsh Kale / Benny Dayal
- Gimme Some Truth – Soulmate
- Across The Universe – Tejas / Maalavika Manoj
- Everybody’s Got Something To Hide (Except Me And My Monkey) – Rohan Rajadhyaksha
- I Will – Shibani Dandekar
- Julia – Dhruv Ghanekar
- Child Of Nature – Anupam Roy
- The Inner Light – Anoushka Shankar / Karsh Kale
- The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill – Raaga Trippin
- Back In The USSR – Karsh Kale / Farhan Ahktar
- I’m So Tired – Lisa Mishra
- Sexy Sadie – Siddharth Basrur
- Martha My Dear – also by Nikhil D’Souza
- Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) – Parekh & Singh
- Revolution – Vishal Dadlani
- Love You To – Dhruv Ghanekar
- Dear Prudence – Karsh Kale / Monica Dogra
- India, India – Nikhil D’Souza
This film of the Beatles’ trip to India comes as Peter Jackson’s film about the band’s final year and a half together comes out in August. More on that here.
