Chalo India with Eric Ji.
In the crowded field of travel documentaries, international productions can easily settle for a postcard view of a place, visually attractive but detached from the people and traditions that give it meaning. Chalo India with Eric Ji takes a different approach, using conversation, history and everyday experience to explore the character of individual Indian regions.
The documentary anthology was conceived and directed by Rajdeep Choudhury. Inspired by the Government of India's Chalo India campaign, the series examines regional histories, living traditions and contemporary communities for audiences beyond India. Choudhury's long-term ambition is to extend the anthology across all 28 Indian states.
Director Rajdeep Choudhury brings a rigorous documentary realism married with cinematic depth, actively avoiding conventional tourist imagery to capture what he describes as "the rhythm of each place: its forgotten histories and living traditions. I wanted audiences to walk through its lanes, hear its stories, and understand the layers that make India extraordinary."
The series is presented by Eric Ollerenshaw OBE, a historian, former Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom and former history teacher. His curiosity and historical knowledge provide an accessible point of entry for viewers encountering the places, people and cultural references presented in the films.
Creative Producer Uma Ramasubramanian contributes to the editorial direction and cultural framing of the project. Working with Choudhury and the wider production team, she has helped shape narrative structure and the treatment of regional music, oral histories and living traditions. Her contribution forms part of the collaborative process behind the completed Varanasi and Mizoram films.
"India reveals itself through conversations and connections. This project is about discovering the people behind the places, the memories, traditions and voices that make every region unique. We wanted to create something immersive, thoughtful and honest," says Ramasubramanian.
The first completed chapter, Chalo India with Eric Ji: Varanasi, explores ritual, music, food, local histories and everyday life in and around one of India's oldest cities. The film also follows Ollerenshaw during the Maha Kumbh period, placing the spiritual importance of the gathering beside the movement and voices of contemporary India.
Chalo India with Eric Ji: Varanasi was officially selected in the Indian Panorama, Non-Feature Films section at the 56th International Film Festival of India, where it was listed as a world premiere. The documentary later received a special screening at BFI Southbank in London on 10 May 2026. The programme was organised by the High Commission of India in London in collaboration with the UK Asian Film Festival and Tongues on Fire. During the event, the documentary team received the Heritage Cinema Excellence Award for its contribution to cultural storytelling through cinema.
The project then turned to Northeast India with Chalo India with Eric Ji: Mizoram. The film explores the state through its landscapes, music, social values and local communities, introducing audiences to a region that is still seldom represented in international travel and cultural programming.
Chalo India with Eric Ji: Mizoram received its world premiere as a special screening at the 34th Raindance Film Festival. The screening took place at Vue Piccadilly in London on 23 June 2026 and was followed by a question and answer session.
As the production team develops future instalments, Chalo India with Eric Ji continues to bring regional Indian histories and living cultures to audiences beyond their place of origin. The anthology draws on Choudhury's direction, Ollerenshaw's historical perspective, Ramasubramanian's contribution as Creative Producer and the work of the wider production team.
