About the film

MahagarbH | The great Womb

MAHAGARBH aims to document the largest spiritual gathering on Earth - MahaKumbh, an event so rare it occurs only once every 144 years at the confluence of three sacred rivers, The Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh.Weaved as a docu-fiction film spanning approximately 50 minutes, it intends to capture the spirit of transformation at the gathering, through the inner journeys of three fictional characters—Aditi, Baba, and Kabir—interwoven with hundreds of real moments of devotion and live interviews of devotees at Mahakumbh. The film is not about religion, but about the human spirit of seeking and humanity's shared spiritual heritage. The ultimate goal is to offer a timeless story that bridges ancient wisdom and modern life and inspires awakening across traditions and cultures.

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Why this Film?

intent behind Mahagarbh

At a time when the world feels increasingly fragmented—across
beliefs, cultures, and generations—we felt called to create something that could remind us of what binds us together. Mahakumbh is India’s civilizational contribution to the entire humanity. It speaks to that eternal longing that lives in every heart—to pause, reflect, purify, connect and transcend.This film is:
A tribute to India’s spiritual legacy to the world
A bridge between ancient wisdom and modern lives
A proof that transformations happen and evolution is our birthright
A reminder that even amidst noise, one can find silence
A record of an event that will not occur again for another 144 years

Behind the scenes

The Making of MahaGarbh

Most films take several months to make. We had 30 days.
The Mahakumbh waits for no one. Miss it, and you wait another 144 years.
That's another lifetime.We finished the dialogue just days before shooting began. For 40 days, the crew woke before dawn and worked into the night, surviving on 2-3 hours of sleep in basic tents among more than 600 million pilgrims spread across a mere 40 sq. km. area. We endured bitter cold, relentless dust, and the cacophony of a sacred city that never sleeps. Some couldn't bear it and left. Those who stayed understood: we weren't chasing a film, we were surrendering to it.Then the boundary between script and reality began to dissolve. Pilgrims who knew nothing of our story spoke our dialogue back to us, word for word. An unknown sadhu we interviewed on the streets of MahaKumbh would utter exactly the same lines as were written in our script. An elderly woman shared a memory that mirrored a scene we'd just captured. It wasn't coincidence—it was communion. The crew felt the shift: we had become instruments of something larger, channels through which the Kumbh was telling its own story.What we'd written wasn't invented; it was received.This film carries the living pulse of the MahaKumbh because we didn't stand apart from it—we dissolved into it. Every frame holds the exhaustion and exaltation of those 40 days, the dust and the divine in equal measure. We didn't document MahaKumbh. We became it. And that's the experience we want you to receive.

Characters

The Docu-Fiction Approach

This film walks the line between documentary and fiction, weaving three fictional characters through the real, unscripted voices of the Kumbh Mela. We conducted dozens of interviews with pilgrims, sadhus, and seekers—capturing their authentic stories, doubts, and revelations. Into this tapestry of real testimonies, we introduced three guides who carry the questions many of us hold.Aditi is a young Indian woman raised abroad, carrying a quiet longing to reconnect with roots she barely remembers. She arrives at the MahaKumbh as an outsider to her own heritage, searching for something she cannot name.Baba is an ascetic who has spent decades in devotion. But now, after many years into the quest, doubt creeps in. He questions whether his years of renunciation have brought him closer to truth or further from it.Kabir is a modern journalist who comes to the Kumbh armed with skepticism, ready to dismiss the gathering as superstition.These characters are fictional, but they emerged from real patterns we observed.
By threading these three journeys through the documentary footage, we created something neither pure fiction nor pure documentary, but a hybrid form that allows the audience to experience the Kumbh through intimate, personal lenses while remaining grounded in the authentic voices of those who live it.

how can you help?

your support in Mahagarbh

You may not come from the world of filmmaking, but you do understand the value of preserving what is sacred, of supporting that which carries cultural and spiritual meaning, something that holds civilizational values. By supporting this film, you are not only helping
complete a piece of cinema—you are participating in the preservation of a spiritual moment, contributing to a cultural offering that will inspire generations to come.- Organize private screening
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Who are we

The Vision

Saadho Media is a creative division of Saadho Ashram, based in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India. This film was envisioned by Gurudev Sri Anish, founder of Saadho—a spiritual institution devoted to the elevation of collective human consciousness. Rooted in the intention of healing humanity and fostering world peace, Saadho’s work seeks to integrate ancient Indic wisdom with contemporary understanding.I am Anikait Malhotra, co-director of this film alongside Gurudev Sri Anish. My work in non-fiction cinema is dedicated to revealing the sacred within the everyday. MahaGarbh emerged from Saadho’s core mission—to explore consciousness not as an abstract idea, but as a lived and embodied experience.The MahaKumbh, with more than 600 million pilgrims converging in devotion, detachment, and discovery, offered a profound canvas to explore the questions that have shaped human inquiry across time: Who am I? What is the truth? How do we connect with something larger than ourselves? Through this docu-fiction, we sought to make visible the subtle currents of inner transformation flowing through one of India’s most ancient and sacred gatherings—a story that belongs not only to those who attend, but to all who seek.