Galina I found out about this independent adventure documentary from one of its creators and started with watching the 3 minute long trailer which instantly grabbed my attention. Tight, dynamic, even suspenseful thanks to well-chosen soundtrack, the trailer was a great introduction to the film. I liked the 80 minutes long movie and given that it was the first picture by the Baghdasaryan brothers, they deserve respect and praise for making an engrossing and intriguing film. The subject of the movie was new for me because I did not know anything about The Mumbai Xpress, one of the most extensive and demanding routes of The Indian Auto rickshaw Challenge, the race across India on the auto-rickshaw or tuk- tuk that covers almost 2000 km. Extremely popular in the urban areas due to their simplicity,efficiency and low cost, driving Auto rickshaw across the huge continent with diverse landscape during the rainy season presents a real challenge. That's why the participants, the teams of two or three drivers from different countries, called the rally 'an amazing race for the clinically insane'. But the madness of the brave deserves a film made about it, and that's exactly what Baghdasaryan brothers did. Technically, their film deserves praise. They were able to create a mood of the travel. Shot during the rainy season, the movie is soaked in rain and leaves impression of danger waiting on the every turn of the treacherous roads. The soundtrack, superimposed on the images of long and often grueling journeys between the cities, helps to feel excitement as well as fatigue and frustration that the participants inevitably and regularly have to deal with.Of several international team-participants, the Baghdasaryan chose the Team US/ Canada team, which included Rick, a Chicago Realtor, and Keith, a Canadian Chef to follow in their adventures during Mumbai Xpress. Rick and Keith, despite their far from extreme occupation back home (or, perhaps, because of it), were ready for excitement and unexpected turns on the treacherous roads during the tropical never ending rain. It was fun in the beginning to follow them on the trip where the problems with their tuk-tuk happened all the time but somewhere in the middle of the road following their team only became a little repetitive and monotonous. I kept thinking of the others teams and how they were handing the long trip. Especially, I wanted to follow the only female team participants and to experience the rally from their perspective. Another slight quibble I have to the film, it was hard to distinguish one city or town on the way from another. I am not sure how the footage should have been edited to pick the most interesting and memorable signs of each new place but there is something for the creators to improve during the work on the future projects. Now, after few weeks since I saw the film, I think that the trailer was the best part of the experience. But as I mentioned above, Hit the Road: India is quite good as a debut in documentary and I am sure that it is a beginning of the long and successful road for the Baghdasaryan Brothers.

Michael_Elliott Hit the Road: India (2013) *** (out of 4) Good documentary about two friends who decide to tackle the 12-day Mumbai Xpress, which is a rally from Mumbai to Chennai and is according to many one of the greatest adventures in the world. HIT THE ROAD: India comes from co-directors Gor Baghdasaryan and Mushegh Baghdasaryan and I'll admit that the subject matter really didn't spike my interest very much. I really wasn't sure what to expect but by the time the 80-minute film was over I found myself entertained. I'm not going to call this a masterpiece or anything like that but if you're familiar with the old James A. FitzPatrick 'TravelTalks" shorts then I think you're going to enjoy this film. Those shorts just had FitzPatrick going to countless places and showing off the locations and the locals. The main attraction to this film is getting to see a city by city tour of India and this here is reason enough to watch the film. I thought the camera-work was quite good for a film like this and there's no question that the directors know where and how to shoot a scene. I'm not going to pretend to sit here and say what the directors were trying to do with this film. However, if it was to show off this event and the beauty of India then they're certainly succeeded. There are many memorable moments scattered throughout the film but I think one of the best things is that it actually makes you want to pack your bags and head to India to live some of this stuff for yourself. This was actually the first time I had ever heard of this race but it was interesting seeing the contestants make their way from various cities and the hardships that happened along the way. I think the one flaw with the picture is that I really didn't connect with the main people very much and I think a little more information about them would have made this journey better.

alex wolfman Following around the North American team of Richard Gazarian and Keith King, the documentary, Hit The Road: India follows these racers through the "The Mumbai Xpress", a twelve day journey and race from the cities of Mumbai to Chennai, India all on only rickshaws.If we look at the world now, we are no doubt in a time where reality television is at it's peak and here to stay. The reality television show The Amazing Race is really similar to this and in a positive way, Hit the Road: India could be described as a reality show. The lead actors could be described as easy going and wanting an adventure and each bringing their own personality to the table, and the most important thing for me is that they are very likable. Like The Amazing Race, the Mumbai Xpress comes with it's problems which include weather, rickshaw breakdowns and just the overall emotional and physical effects that come with this long journey. This adds drama to the story and substance to the film.Another important thing we learn through this journey is the history of India. From the climate and scenery that seems to change quite a bit, driving conditions that seem well beyond normal, and even just how beef is not served at McDonald's due to Indian religious beliefs, we learn more about India than we knew before. Living in America, most of the things depicted here would not be considered normal to me and that leads to a surreal feeling at times while watching this movie.Again just like The Amazing Race, Hit The Road: India really does make you consider the world differently than you did before. Here, we are in a world where there are so many new things out there with really so little time to see and appreciate it all. This is a documentary that makes you consider traveling the world regardless of the distance from you and that is an accomplishment. If a film like this is able to grab you in a way and make you think, then no doubt it is a powerful film.I do question why the film chose not to shoot other contestants in the race and you really can't say this is the most original idea but I still liked this documentary. It is entertaining, direct and to the point and it is a good hidden film from 2013. Hit the road and find it.

bob the moo I'll be honest about how I came to this film – not how I came to hear about it but rather my attitude towards it coming in the door. Looking at the title and plot summary, I was ready to really hate the film. Ironically considering I travel a reasonable amount, I really do not care for those people who deliberately put themselves through hardships for the sake of "experience", nor backpackers who make a song and dance out of not changing clothes for two months and look down their nose at anyone they come across in a city who did not get there by hitchhiking or crawling through mud. To me it is snobbery and I am always surprised on travel forum how so many conversations quickly turn into the equivalent of the famous Yorkshiremen sketch where the next person dismisses the previous travel story as "luxury" and then undercuts it with more hardship.Anyway, I digress, but suffice to say that the story of two Americans living rough for two weeks in some form of basic race across India really had me on edge ready to dislike the whole thing. And for sure there are aspects I did dislike but generally what I found was a breezy travelogue film where we have a well chosen soundtrack playing over some well filmed and well edited footage. India is not somewhere I have ever really wanted to be, mainly because of the intensity and chaos you hear about, but on the basis of this film it does appeal to me for the sake of experiencing it – albeit I would do so in a more controlled and planned way. To those who have been to India and had these sorts of experiences, I guess the film will really help the memories rush back and be enjoyed on that level. But even for those that don't, it is a nice looking travelogue.The problems come if you want more than that. I have no idea how the film was made but it feels like the planning was to follow these guys and then all efforts were taken up with getting good shots during each day; I think the filming of the trip must have been as grueling as the trip itself and a result it does feel like the makers were not able to step away from the experience and decide what they were trying to achieve with the film beyond just cool footage and soundtracks. I wanted to know a bit more about pretty much everything – who are the people doing this trip and why are they doing it? Is it really a race or just an adventure package holiday? What are the good and bad things about the places they go? And most of all – instead of telling me about things, why not let me see them? So we hear lots about things that happened after they occurred, and we see the aftermath of going off the road but we rarely see these events despite near-constant filming across the whole trip. I have no idea why these things are described and not seen.I am not sure why we follow the two American guys and nobody else; given the frequent news stories and impressions we get via the media of India, it would have potentially been much more interesting to follow the all female team and see their experiences. Richard I liked though – he is a nice guy with a positive outlook and a good presence for the camera. Keith though, I really struggled not to dislike. He is very quick to complain about standards of bedding and food (which makes you wonder where he thought he was going when he decided to do this), he quickly takes his "experience" and makes it as normal as possible with his wifi music system etc (some of the other contestants don't seem to have much time for him) and I really disliked how frequently he mimicked the head movements of others – although the film makes everyone do it at the end, which just felt disrespectful. That said, the two men are good enough company of this series of events.And it is really just a trip and series of events, most of which we hear about rather than see. The film is very well put together and filmed but I really wish there had been an agenda behind it to try and give the viewer more structure, information or insight – as it is without any of this it is just a fun travelogue – which is a shame because it is well- enough made to have been more than just this.