NatGeo's 'The Great Indian Election' to air on August 15
New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) National Geographic, a 131-year-old brand driven by its rich legacy of showcasing the most inspiring and spectacular stories, announced on Wednesday that its upcoming documentary on Indias biggest democratic exercise titled, "The Great Indian Election", shot across 37 locations, will premiere on August 15, 2019.
"The film will also bring to the forefront rarely told human stories of the people behind this mammoth event. The film will bring to life a festive celebration of democracy on a day that is all about India," a channel statement said.
The documentary, which will also be available on Hotstar, will uncover the entire planning process of this exercise of epic proportions involving 11 million poll officials, over 900 million electorate and 8,000 candidates across one million polling stations.
Starting from the announcement of election phases to the swearing-in ceremony of India's 15th Prime Minister's, "the epic six-month, multi-crew production has been shot across the length and breadth of the country", the channel said.
The documentary showcases a holistic view of the election process, right from the intricate planning to the people behind the exercise. It features a diverse set of people involved, from top-ranking officers at the Election Commission, booth-level officers (BLOs), topmost political leaders to 100-year-old voters.
"Through interviews and through unprecedented access to lesser known areas, the film showcases the challenges and complexities faced by Election Commission personnel in managing the polls in some power constituencies. Some of those featured include the 23rd Chief Election Commissioner of India Sunil Arora; the District Election Officer of Varanasi, Surendra Singh, an IAS officer; and the first female collector of Salem district, Rohini R Bhajibhakare, among others.
The cameras of National Geographic have also followed some high profile leaders such as Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Nitin Gadkari and Sachin Pilot. "Standing tall to its commitment of scratching beneath the surface to bring out the unheard and unseen, the film will give viewers an outlook in their campaigning," the statement said.
