Welcome to India
With astonishing access into the densest districts of Kolkata and Mumbai, this three-part documentary for BBC2 celebrates the impressive resourcefulness, resilience and unbridled pragmatism of those living and working there.
★ 8.5/1020121 season
Cast: Sacha Dhawan
HDCC
Season 1
3 episodes
1. Gold HuntingKaale has come to Kolkata in search of gold - incredibly, he earns a living by sweeping the streets of the jewellery district for stray gold dust. But to fulfil his business ambitions, he must escape his landlord and rent a room of his own. His plan pushes even his resourcefulness to the limit: dredging for gold in Kolkata's drains.CC59minOct 3, 2012
2. RecyclingJohora started out as a rag-picker, but through building a bottle recycling business on a railway embankment, she has big ambitions for her family of seven kids. When the local gangsters increase their protection payment demands, she boldly takes out a big loan and attempts to push her illegal business to another level.
And it's not just small waste. Kanye uses a handheld blowtorch to cut up ships discarded by the rest of the world, helping satisfy India's thirst for steel. His dangerous but relatively well-paid job educates his three daughters and provides his ticket to a brighter future. But his hopes are in jeopardy when he is laid off.
Ashik buys up beef fat from the abattoir and proudly renders it down to make tallow. It looks disgusting, even before he is plagued by a maggot infestation. But this thrifty use of waste may well be destined for your soap or cosmetics.CC58minOct 10, 2012
3. ActingPrakash and Mangesh are brothers in their early twenties from an illegal settlement surrounded by the buzz of downtown Mumbai. Prakash is deckhand on a yacht while striving to realise his dream and launch a Bollywood career. But his family are playing the long game, and make it clear his sole purpose is to earn enough to fund in their joint future: his brother Mangesh's course in software engineering. Apparently doomed to be the underdog, an audition does finally come Prakash's way.CC59minOct 17, 2012
Welcome to India
★ 8.5/1020121 season3 episodesReturning Series
With astonishing access into the densest districts of Kolkata and Mumbai, this three-part documentary for BBC2 celebrates the impressive resourcefulness, resilience and unbridled pragmatism of those living and working there.
Creators and cast
- Directors
- Ashok Prasad
- Cast
- Sacha Dhawan
