In the summer of 2003, American musician Andrew Mendelson traveled to Jaipur, Rajasthan, at the invitation of his teacher, the renowned sitarist Pandit Krishna Mohan Bhatt. What began as a visit to deepen his study of Hindustani classical music became something far more unexpected.
On a whim, Mendelson entered the Sri Mahendra Bhatt Music Competition—the largest music competition in the state of Rajasthan. He was the first westerner ever to participate. And he won.
The film documents his return to compete in the Tournament of Champions, where he faced the best young musicians in the region. The competition creates a window onto a living musical tradition—one that stretches back centuries—and what it means to venture into that world as an outsider.
The Music
Hindustani classical music is one of the world’s oldest and most sophisticated musical traditions. Rooted in ancient Sanskrit texts and shaped over centuries by royal courts, wandering saints, and an unbroken line of hereditary musicians, it is a tradition built on deep personal transmission — from guru to student — rather than notation or written record.
The film explores the raga system at the heart of this music: the melodic frameworks that govern improvisation, each associated with a time of day, a season, an emotional state. It traces the gharana tradition — the hereditary schools of music that have defined the style and lineage of players for generations. And it asks what this ancient system means in a rapidly modernizing India, and to the students around the world drawn to its depth.
The World
Rajasthan — the Land of Kings — is a fitting setting for a film about music rooted in the courts of emperors. The competition takes place in Jaipur, the Pink City, where Mughal architecture and the rhythms of daily life provide a vivid backdrop to the intense world of classical music preparation and performance.
The film introduces viewers to Mendelson’s guru, Pandit Krishna Mohan Bhatt, and to the network of musicians, students, and patrons who sustain this tradition. Their candor about the challenges facing classical music in contemporary India gives the film a texture that goes well beyond the competition itself.
Film Details
Directed by Andrew Mendelson
Produced by Negin Farsad and Andrew Mendelson
Runtime: 72 minutes
Release Date: 2009
Available on: Amazon Prime Video