And here, the film, Banaras-A Mystic Love Story, is made.

SYNOPSIS
The story, as the title indicates, is set in the timeless city of Banaras. And it revolves round love, the most endearing of all human emotions. That love knows no barriers and has no boundaries is the crux of the drama that unfolds. Which is why, when Shwetambari (Urmilla Matondkar), the beautiful Brahmin girl from a cultured aristocratic family, a student at the local university, meets Soham (Ashmit Patel), a young, handsome, low-caste music teacher and mystic, love is born. The opposites - she a highborn and he a lowborn - unite in love, that all consuming and purifying fire. Love has no consideration for class, caste or creed. But it ignites the passions of hatred in the city, steeped in orthodoxy. Banaras boils with ancient rage. Conservatives condemn the sacred love between Shwetambari and Soham as an act of sin and sacrilege. Dark forces that dictate terms to tradition take over. Destiny determines its own course for the shattered young lives. Shwetambari leaves Banaras despite support from her enlightened parents (Dimple Kapadia and Raj Babbar). Soham finds meaning in meditation under his Guru, the enlightened mystic, Babaji (Naseeruddin Shah).

The wise say that time heals and forgives. But, 17 years later, Shwetambari, now a renowned world teacher of philosophy and religion, is caught up in a dilemma. Whether or not to return to Banaras, where her doting father lies dying. Would her return revive the demons and dark forces of the past lying dormant? What would in the end rule the human hearts and souls - revenge and retribution or love and compassion? That's the question. The film tries to provide the answer, the same way as does the inscrutable Babaji, meditating on the banks of the Ganges.

Like enduring love that lasts forever, the Mother Ganges continues her endless journey, with joys and sorrows merging as inseparable ripples of the same sacred waters.

The Passion & The Film
L.C. Singh, one of the pioneers of the Indian IT industry, has been very successful as a technocrat. He has stints with giant corporations such as the State Bank of India, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Zensar Technologies. At present, LC heads Nihilent Technologies, a global solutions integration and change management company, with its headquarters in Pune. LC has been both a student and scholar of existentialism and mysticism for more than three decades.

Many years ago, LC had delivered an address to the cream of IT international senior managers at Harward. He put forth his thoughts, culled out from his deep understanding of Indian culture, with copious references to Banaras. The audience, though largely materialistic in their outlook and immensely successful in their careers, felt touched. Banaras has always been growing on LC - as a creative concept, a human drama, a philosophy, a symphony and salvation. LC has finally made the movie, Banaras - A Mystic Love Story. It took him two years to write the story. He also collaborated in writing the film's screenplay with Javed Siddiqi, one of the best dialogue writers and a master craftsman in the Hindi film industry. Pankuj Parashar, the man who gave such a blockbuster as Chalbaaz, directed the film. Music was composed by Himesh Reshammiya and lyrics were by Sameer. The Film's cast includes Urmilla Matondkar, Ashmit Patel, Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia, Raj Babbar & Akash Khurana.

Talking about the film, Parashar said, “it would prove to be a marked departure from my familiar style and pattern as it is a different genre of film, which is based on a spiritual subject.”

LC tells in his own words, about the film, Banaras - A Mystic Love Story, how it has happened.

The first thing, Banaras visually appeals to you. Look at the Ganges, her sacred waters. It is nothing but concentration of pure energy.

Then you go to Saranath, Tusi Das' home, the Kabir Muth. Experiences beyond description. There are so many different colours. In just seven kilometers of space, look at the contradictions in the philosophy of the great men. Some follow “Nirankar”,, some “Sakar.” Yet all were great paths. Buddha was right, Mahavir was right, Patanjali was right, Guru Nanak was right. Who is wrong?
That reminds me of the Gita, “Sadgun” is right and so is 'Nirgun”. Only the paths are different. What strikes is that so many intellectual giants in different eras of time should come to Banaras. What did they see in Banaras that they have to come there and gain something from? The question invoked intense curiosity. And thus began my own journey. I began going deeper and deeper. You know, beyond a point, the knowledge disappears. What you know disappears. Then a feeling starts building up. Then you feel almost a sense of devotion. There is only that spiritual longing, an unshakable faith in one's values and a deep passion to communicate them through a creative medium. And it culminated in the film, Banaras - A Mystic Love Story.

The Idea of Banaras
While I stayed in Banaras, I was curious and wanted to learn more. Later, all that suddenly ceased. When I left Banaras, I did not want to know anything. I felt that ideas were intertwined in my mind. In fact, a decade back, I gave a talk at Harvard in which there was a reference to Banaras. Many have written and still write to me saying that they read the speech when they are depressed about life. Then the idea in mind started taking shape. I thought I needed to communicate it. Those people who have gotten money, feel more disillusioned than people who are chasing it. When we don't have anything, the first priority is material; to gain some money. But having done that one needs to move on to create a balance between mind and matter. This harmony is the culture that we need to be evolving. The concept needs to be completely internalized, Not as knowledge, but as a feeling, a kind of compassion. Not a reaction. But absolute compassion. And to me that is Banaras.

About the story
A story is all about creating drama with messages embedded. The big difference between a documentary and drama, in layman's terms, is the human drama. In a documentary somebody talks and offers information and knowledge. In the drama, even if one has to preach, one character will have to preach to some other. You can't talk to the audience. Talking to the audience amounts to a sacrilege. That's why I approached Javed Siddiqi, who is a master craftsman; one of the best dialogue writers. I don't want to deviate from the classic cinema, the human drama. The ultimate drama is the human drama. The ultimate drama is Death. The ultimate drama is Life. The ultimate drama is Transformation. The struggle that we carry with us, if that ends, it is drama. If it begins, it is drama. In this film, every character in itself, all of them, have their own understanding of life. They clash because everybody's perception of life is different. So you will find the characters in the movie, even the small characters, stand absolutely firm on ground. You won't be able to identify the villain - no one is a villain. Because, we have gone so deep into her/his character, and from her/his point of view, what she/he does appears right. Hence you are perplexed as to what is right and what is wrong. And I can assure you that nobody can guess what happens in the movie. Because, at every stage you are empathizing with the characters so much, that you do not know what is going to happen.

The Music
Then there is that visual appeal of Banaras and the background music to match it. In Banaras, music is embedded in life. Not external. Without music a film on Banaras cannot be made. The whole film itself is like a symphony.

The Message
These days, revenge, retribution and competition have become the culture. Very Darwinian. The survival of the strongest. I think the film defies that. We show that by practicing the philosophy of revenge, you only create a hell. Because the forces which are defeated, only go dormant. They don't die. They will come back and create a perfect hell around you. This philosophy of retribution and revenge, will only lead to creation of hell. The heaven can be created only by love and compassion. That is the message of the film.

In the end, you will feel good and go back home with peace in heart and soul and some ideas in mind to transform your own life.