Mahakumbh, one of Hinduism’s most significant and sacred gatherings, attracts millions of devotees from around the world. It’s believed that during this time, the holy rivers become spiritually charged, and bathing in them washes away sins, leading to moksha (liberation). The festival’s origins trace back to the mythological event of Samudra Manthan—the churning of the ocean—where drops of amrit (nectar of immortality) fell at four places. While both Kumbh Mela and Mahakumbh hold great religious importance, Kumbh occurs every 12 years at Ujjain, Nashik, Haridwar, and Prayagraj, whereas Mahakumbh happens once every 144 years and is held exclusively in Prayagraj.

I received a message from Gil Koloirin, a fellow filmmaker from the UK, informing me that an Italian filmmaker named Massimiliano Bulgheroni is seeking a fixer to assist with his shoot at the Mahakumbh in February 2025. Excited about the opportunity, especially since Uttar Pradesh is my home state and Mahakumbh is an event that every filmmaker would love to cover, I began communicating with the crew. I learned that the crew size would be challenging due to their international origins. Lukas Hoeller and John Ballard will be the hosts, Stefano Etter will handle the camera work, and I’ve hired my colleague Aranya Raj Singh to assist with the camera. Tushar Kangarkar will also be on the camera. Massi (as we affectionately call him) requested help with drone work and a production assistant, which added to the excitement. 

After a frantic phase of securing their tourist visas (due to the overwhelming number of applicants for visas to attend Mahakumbh), we embarked on our quest to book a drone operator. The crew’s initial destination was Ujjain, and I assigned Vishal Yadav, a local from Indore, to operate the drone. Simultaneously, another crew member from Massi’s team, Priscilla Purusha Anokhei, would film in Varanasi and then travel to Prayagraj.

Budget constraints led to my removal from the on-ground team, but Massi requested that I continue coordinating remotely. This project saw me making more calls than ever before. February arrived, and Prayagraj was teeming with people, creating an atmosphere that felt like the entire world had converged in one city. The term ‘chaos’ took on a new meaning here. I reached out to over 50 individuals to assist the crew in conducting their shoot as efficiently as possible.

I sought the help of a hotelier in Prayagraj, Satya Prakash Ojha, who was attempting to accommodate the crew at his hotel. However, the space was overcrowded and severely cramped. The crew was already in Ujjain, except for Anokhei, who was in Prayagraj and was scheduled to travel to Varanasi. The distance between Varanasi and Prayagraj is just 120 kilometres, and ideally, it should take no more than 2-3 hours by road. However, at that time, it would take at least 6 hours for people to reach Prayagraj station from wherever they could find accommodation. Varanasi was equally affected, as a restriction was imposed on all vehicles entering the city from Prayagraj. I enlisted the help of a local person there, Sundeep Bharadwaj, who was also trying to receive Anokhei and find her a suitable place to stay. It took several hours and two sleepless nights to arrange for her travel, and finally, she arrived in Varanasi, only to find another wave of crowds. 

Both Varanasi and Prayagraj were severely crowded, making it challenging to take shots in such a situation. The rest of the crew’s journey began in Ujjain, heading to Jhansi’s Sakin village. This was because the location in Ujjain where they were filming was an ashram, and the saint it belonged to had his hometown in Sakin. The documentary would also cover Sakin, but it wasn’t an easy task. The crew travelled through the forest areas of western Madhya Pradesh and then from Sakin to Prayagraj, passing through the Bundelkhand ravines at times. This enchanting trip was a great experience for the crew. As we reached Sakin, the drone stopped working. Another operator was rushed from Jhansi, but by the time he arrived, the drone had resumed functioning. Our state of mind was in a sinusoidal curve-like state, and we were simply enjoying the process. 

Once in Prayagraj, the ocean of people concerned the crew. Staying in tents was a risk factor, especially considering the equipment they had. Someone had to be in the tents all the time, so they changed shifts to ensure this. The crew faced sleepless cold nights and had to survive on bare minimum food, but they took great efforts to conduct the shoot. Flights were getting too expensive, and I had to manage multiple cancellations due to schedule changes. Despite these challenges, I was confident that I could pull off any shoot in any corner of the country.