Guwahati/London May 13: Chalo India With Eric Ji (Varanasi), directed by Assam filmmaker Rajdeep Choudhury, was recently screened at the British Film Institute (BFI) in London following its official selection in the Indian Panorama Non-Feature section at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
The documentary is part of a larger travel and cultural anthology presented by Eric Ollerenshaw OBE, former Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom and a former history teacher, whose long-standing interest in India forms the basis of the project.
Rajdeep Choudhury, who has been based in London for over 17 years, conceptualised the documentary anthology to explore different regions of India through culture, history and lived experiences. The Varanasi episode was filmed during Makar Sankranti, capturing the city during the Maha Kumbh period and documenting various aspects of everyday life and spiritual traditions associated with the ancient city.
The film follows Eric Ollerenshaw as he experiences Varanasi through its ghats, local food culture, narrow lanes and nearby heritage locations, including Sarnath. Through observational storytelling and visual documentation, the documentary presents different facets of the city while reflecting on its continuing cultural significance.
The screening at BFI NFT2 on May 10 was organised by the Indian High Commission in London in collaboration with the UK Asian Film Festival and Tongues on Fire. The event was attended by members of the Indian diaspora, film enthusiasts and audiences from diverse backgrounds.
During the event, the documentary team also received the “Heritage Cinema Excellence Award”, presented in association with the Indian High Commission, UK Asian Film Festival and Tongues on Fire, recognising contributions towards cultural storytelling through cinema.
The next instalment in the documentary anthology, Chalo India With Eric Ji (Mizoram), focuses on Northeast India and its cultural landscape. The teaser of the upcoming episode was launched earlier this year by the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) in the presence of Union Minister of Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and ITDC Managing Director Mugdha Sinha.
According to the makers, the broader vision of the documentary anthology is to document different states across India through travel-based storytelling intended for international audiences. It aims to document lesser-explored cultural narratives from different parts of India for global audiences.
For Rajdeep Choudhury, who originallybelongs to Silchar in Assam, this marks the beginning of a much larger cinematic vision — to eventually cover all 28 states of India through stories that celebrate each region’s unique identity while connecting deeply with global audiences.
Chalo India With Eric Ji is not a regular travel series; it is a cultural storytelling movement that presents a confident, diverse, and globally resonant image of India to the world.