Highway To Hell (2022)
General Information
Completed On: 30 Apr, 2022
Duration: 45 min 0 sec
Genres: Documentary
Language: Hindi, English
Country: India
Submitted By: Zeyad Khan
Festival Rating
Highway To Hell is a new-age cinematic documentary exploring the life story, philosophy and motivations of a group of nomad mechanics from north India, who travel around the year to perform death-defying stunts in ‘the well of death’ or ‘maut ka kuan’.
It explores the lives of Gholu, Maroof, Ali and Raees, riders who perform over 10 hours a day on decades-old Yamaha RX 100 bikes and Maruti 800 cars in a 40-feet high circular wooden wall - the reason for the livelihood of over 100 men. It documents the lives of these poor Muslim mechanics from Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal who become semi-celebrities in their towns. Apart from the riders, the film will delve into the lives of jokers, dancers, workers and foremen that form the part of this caravan of talent - the ones who work behind the scenes to attract audiences to this spectacle of daredevilry.
Highway to Hell throws light on difficulties they face because of their dangerous line of work: finding a bride, applying for life insurance, moving to other jobs and family conflicts, while capturing aspects of the adrenaline rush, money, stardom and the admiration from women fans it brings to them. It delves into the technicalities of their training, food and precautions they need to take to stay safe while riding in the well, apart from their ‘romantic relationship’ with their rides and love-hate relationship with their job.
Eventually, Highway To Hell will culminate in exploring how their ‘art’ is being forgotten in modern times as the old riders are unable to find young talent to replace them. And how they manage to capture the attention of the smartphone-savvy generation by putting their lives in danger for a show in the well of death by travelling round the year in north Indian small towns.
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DirectorsZeyad Masroor Khan
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Video ProducerTabish Sultan
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CinematographyMohd. Amir Khan
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CinematographyShaaz Khan
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EditorMohd. Amir Khan
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Film TypeDocumentary
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GenresAction, Informative, Musical
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Runtime45 minutes 0 seconds
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Completion Date30 Apr, 2022
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Production Budget2000 USD
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Country of OriginIndia
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Country of FilmingIndia
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Film LanguageHindi, English
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Shooting FormatDigital
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Aspect Ratio
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Film ColorColor
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Student ProjectNo
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First-time FilmmakerNo
Cinemawadi Productions
Worldwide: All Rights