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| India With Sanjeev Bhaskar (BBC) | 
 enlarge | Actor: Sanjeev Bhaskar
Studio: 2 Entertain Video
Category: DVD
List Price: £12.99
Buy New: £6.98
You Save: £6.01 (46%)
New (12) from £6.97
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 5715
Format: Pal
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Exempt
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5014503242121
ASIN: B000TQLJQE
Release Date: September 10, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-8 of 8 | | « PREV | | |
 Lightweight, colourful, frothy entertainment. Hard to take seriously October 22, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
It's difficult to know why you'd want to buy this series, because it's not likely to inspire repeat viewings. Sanjeev is an excellent comedian but as a guide to India, its landscape, people, history and culture, he took over too much of the series. This often happens with 'personality' presenters -- the presenter becomes far more important than the subject. So instead of concentrating on the point of the documentary, we spend ages being 'entertained' by Sanjeev's not particualrly witty asides, or watching him raise eyebrows, or waggle entertainingly for the camera. Too much gurning, guys!
However, there is still a lot of information here, and the overall theme of the series is interesting, taking Sanjeev back to where his family lived in previous generations. There are some fascinating moments (like the guard's ceremony on the border with Pakistan) where the India's remarkable culture and people are captured and explained. There are also some emotional scenes where Sanjeev is plainly touched by the spirituality of the place he's in, and it's at these times when the programme suceeds. When it's being serious, then it's very good. When it's being silly then... it is just silly.
So I started out thinking this would be a two-star review, but after thinking it all over I can rate it three stars after all. It is definitely a much better series than the companion piece (in which a British woman of Pakistani extraction takes a personal journey back to Pakistan -- a terrible example of 'celebrity' nonsense). If this series happened to be on TV again then I wouldn't mind re-watching it, so it's certainly worth seeing as a rental.
However, if you want a really detailed and excellent DVD about India (one which is educational and entertaining; spiritual and historial) then you should buy Michael Wood's Story of India instead. India with Sanjeev os pretty flimsy by comparison.
 One Comedian's Personal, Quirky Visit October 7, 2007
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
I've always enjoyed Sanjeev Bhaskar's comedy offerings so I expected this series to be an amusingly quirky visit to the land of his roots and it didn't disappoint. I didn't expect it to be a factually correct historical journey - I've already watched Micharl Wood's India and the BBC Ganges series for that. Sanjeev's series also showed India, but his India and in his own way. If he's more interested in truck horns than Hindu temples then so be it. He didn't set out to present a detailed history, but offers us clips of the things which amused or interested him.
It was the final thing which has decided me to visit India myself and see it with my own eyes.
 Simply awful October 1, 2007
9 out of 14 found this review helpful
I understand this series was presented as 'personal jounrey' but the complete lack of structure, research and relevant content throughout was appalling. The episode where Sanjeev travelled to Pakistan to find his (pre partition) ancestral family home in Pakistan was particulary bad.
A significant part of this programme was devoted to Sanjeev being 'funny' re menu options at a restaurant , roadside observations , buying shawls in Simla - I'm surprised the program makers did not include the Indian restaurant sketch from Goodness Gracious Me for good measure. Did the director feel we needed to be entertained - as talking about partition , the continuing effects on people lives and attitudes would be too unpalatable ? Subjects such as partition do not have to be deathly serious on the point of being depressing but there does need to be measure of poignancy and reflection which was completely missing. In Simla the presenter said there was little documentation of India before partition (which is rubbish) and preceded to describe the pre partition map of Punjab using an old travel book - even those who know punjab fairly well (I am 2nd generation Indian / Punjabi like Sanjeev Bhaskar ) could not follow his shaky (and ill shot) description of the boundary.
The program makers felt it appropriate to include scenes such as visit to a wedding which added nothing except provide the opportunity for the presenter to be very unfunny. In fact there was more analysis about trucks, their construction and the sounds their horns make then than was about the people of punjab in India and Pakistan. The term `personal journey' can't be an excuse for lazy way this programme was made.
When Sanjeev finally arrived in Pakistan the filming seemed so rushed. Clearly they were running out of light and had to move on the next day. He mentioned that Pakistanis understood Hindi and he could understand Urdu - but forgot to mention that Punjab on both sides of the border is united by a common language not too mention an amazing shared history.
There was no effort to talk to any body at his ancestral village in Pakistan - Baddoke Gosian. It has a stunning hindu temple. It was pictured and briefly mentioned by the guide - mistakenly as gurdwara. Built in the mid 19th century it was originally surrounded by a pool - just like the Golden Temple. The temple has a beautiful legend associated with it not to mention one or two wall paintings. - generation of Sanjeevs family would have worshiped there - however no mention as made of it. I wanted to know how muslims felt about having hindu temple in there midst. What did they feel about Punjab / India after 60 years ? There will have been elders in the village who remembered the days before and leading to partition. Clearly this as not part of Sanjeevs `personal journey' - I suspect he had other wedding functions to attend.
What a wasted opportunity.
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