Abacus Media picks up Beatles India doc

Ajoy Bose directs The Beatles & India which is based on his book (photo: Colin Harrison)

Amcomri-owned UK-based distributor Abacus Media Rights (AMR) has added a feature documentary about The Beatles’ visit to a Himalayan ashram to its slate.

The Beatles & India (1×96’) is produced by UK prodco Renoir Pictures, with founder Reynold D’Silva executive producing. Renoir has also produced Beatles documentary It Was Fifty Years Ago Today, which marks the 50th anniversary of the album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

The India documentary is inspired by Ajoy Bose’s book Across The Universe. Bose also directs, alongside cultural researcher Pete Compton.

With rare archival footage, unseen recordings and photographs, eyewitness accounts and location shoots across India, the doc spotlights the band’s journey from their celebrity lives in the West to a remote Himalayan ashram in search of spiritual bliss that inspired a burst of songwriting.

Jonathan Ford, MD of AMR, said: “So much has been told about the most famous band in the world over the years but this is a real find. It is an extraordinary telling of a largely unknown series of events which had a massive impact on the Beatles’ future lives. Offering a wide range of interviews with people who met the group on their trips to India, most with their stories unheard. From journalists to musicians to teenage girls, each has a unique tale to share.”