Siddhartha (1972) on Netflix
Born into a rich Brahmin family in India, Siddhartha sets out in search of a meaningful way of life. He takes up harsh asceticism along that path.
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Trailer
Plot summary
Siddhartha is a Brahmin youth whose search for a meaningful way of life takes him into harsh asceticism. It adapts a novel of the same name published in 1922. Filming took place on location in the north of the country, in Rishikesh and at estates and in palaces belonging to the Maharaja of Bharatpur. The film was shown at the Venice International Film Festival in September 1972. A restored version was re-released in 2002.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Siddhartha (1972)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Simi Garewal's nude scene caused controversy in India, where the Censor Board at the time did not even permit on-screen kissing. The film faced difficulties with the Indian censors and was released with cuts, and the row intensified when nude and semi-nude stills of Garewal appeared in Indian film magazines.
- The title role was first offered to Amitabh Bachchan, with Rekha considered for the role of Kamala. Rooks wanted Bachchan to be available continuously for several months, but the actor declined because of his existing film commitments.
- The monks appearing in the film are not actors at all: they were actual Tibetan Buddhist monks and sadhus of Rishikesh.
- Swedish cinematographer Sven Nykvist, known for his collaboration with Ingmar Bergman, photographed the film with a three-member camera crew brought over from Sweden.
- By 1970 Warner Bros. was planning to finance production in India, with British cinematographer Walter Lassally in negotiations to photograph the film, but the studio withdrew after creative disagreements: it had approved a screenplay by Lewis John Carlino that Rooks wanted substantially rewritten.
