Modern-day life in the South Asian nation is highlighted in four documentaries airing throughout November on HBO and HBO2.
‘Marathon Boy’
Premieres tomorrow at
8 p.m. on HBO
Most people
can’t imagine running one marathon in their lifetime. Budhia Singh ran
48 marathons by the age of 4. This fascinating story, filmed with
unprecedented access over a five-year period, details the rise of a boy
who was born into poverty, taken in by a master showman who recognized
his natural talent for long-distance running and exploited en route to
becoming a national hero.
‘The Bengali Detective’
Premieres Nov. 16 at
8 p.m. on HBO2
The plot almost plays out like a Kolkata-set episode of “Bored to Death” — Rajesh Ji, founder of the Always Investigating & Security Concern detective agency, is a Bollywood-obsessed private eye who solves crimes (from the counterfeiting of fake-hair goods to murder) for citizens who have lost trust in local authorities.
‘The Sound of Mumbai: A Musical’
Premieres Nov. 23 at
8 p.m. on HBO2
Performing “The Sound of Music” offers the chance to dream of a life off the streets as the Bombay Chamber Orchestra recruits kids from the slums to stage a one-time-only choral concert of the Rogers and Hammerstein score. And 11-year-old solo performer Ashish is dreaming big — he hopes to inspire a patron to sponsor his education, or maybe even win the affections an upper-class girl.
‘Pink Saris’
Premieres Nov. 30 at
8 p.m. on HBO2
Amid devastating stories of abuse against women in arranged marriages in Northern India, hope comes in the form of a pink sari. Sampat Pal escaped her own horrors — she was often beaten by the family she was married into as a young girl — to found the Gulabi Gang (aka the Pink Gang), a vigilante group who, yes, don bright pink clothes, but also battle antiquated caste traditions that endanger women.
