BBC Commissions Amol Rajan-Fronted Doc Special from Wildstar

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BBC Factual has commissioned Wildstar Films to produce Amol Rajan Goes to the Ganges (w.t.), a documentary special for BBC One and iPlayer exploring the Maha Kumbh Mela Festival in Northern India.

In the one-hour special, journalist and presenter Amol Rajan joins up to 500 million pilgrims from all over the globe who come together for the world’s largest religious festival. Fremantle is handling global distribution for the documentary under the working title Earth’s Biggest Festival: Kumbh Mela.

The journey is personal for Rajan, who was born in India to a practicing Hindu family. Rajan has struggled to come to terms with the death of his father three years ago and hopes that reconnecting with his birthplace, at one of Hinduism’s most important religious events, could help him process his grief.

Rajan said: “This journey is both a monumental privilege and an invitation to understand one of the most beautiful, complex and profound religions and civilizations our world has ever known. It also comes—as viewers will discover—at a vital moment for me. Truly, this is the most auspicious adventure I have ever been on. Me and 500 million fellow pilgrims that is…”

Daisy Scalchi, BBC’s head of religion and ethics for television, commented: “This pilgrimage is an immensely personal one for Amol and will bring another side of the presenter to audiences as he takes us inside one of the world’s most extraordinary religious events.”

Anwar Mamon, executive producer and director of development at Wildstar Films, added: “Amol Rajan Goes to the Ganges (w.t.) will immerse viewers in a spectacular assault on the senses provided by the most monumental human gathering in Earth’s history. Exploring both the sacred and the surreal, along with the feats of construction and organization involved in building and running a temporary mega-city on a flood plain to house 500 million people, the film will also investigate why in an increasingly secular world the promise of spiritual salvation holds such sway.”