Caminho das Índias


Caminho das Índias is a Brazilian telenovela produced by Rede Globo. It was broadcast from 19 January to 11 September 2009, and Telefutura aired an edited Spanish-language version from 5 October 2010 to 25 April 2011. Caminho das Índias is a story of contrasts which examines the differences in beliefs and values of the Eastern and Western world.
The show starred Juliana Paes and Rodrigo Lombardi as the main protagonists and Letícia Sabatella as the main antagonist. It also starred Tânia Khallil, Débora Bloch, Alexandre Borges and Bruno Gagliasso.
The telenovela was originally screened as six one-hour chapters per week, from Monday to Saturday. It was one of Brazil's highest-rated programs, often appearing at the top of the daily's ratings released by the Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics. The average audience share for a chapter reached between 36 and 45 million, with each point equivalent to sixty thousand households tuned on Rede Globo in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo.

Overview

The title can be interpreted in two ways: it is Portuguese for "Route to the Indies" or "India's Way". The story is set during India's transition into a modern democracy, mostly in the period of the 1990s to 2000s, with many prominent flashbacks to the 1950s and 1970s. The story is equally divided between continents, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Rajasthan, India, with some scenes in Dubai. Themes include love, reason, sanity, insanity, and tradition versus modernity. The story highlights the contrasts of values and belief systems in the West and the East, told through families, their friends, and the complex mesh of relationships which connect them.

Plot

One of the main plot points is a forbidden love between castes. Maya, a charming call-centre employee in Rajasthan, comes from the Vaishya trader caste. While her parents try to arrange a marriage for her, she falls in love with Bahuan, which she declares to her parents. She does not understand Bahuan's misgivings until learning that he is the orphaned son of Dalit servants who were burned at the stake for accidentally touching their master. They plan a future together while her parents arrange a marriage to Raj Ananda, and Bahuan works toward his career, eventually becoming a partner in a Brazilian company.
Meanwhile, Raj falls in love with Brazilian Duda, who initially fights for Raj's affections but the cultural conflicts exhaust and disillusion her, and she turns away from Raj for a new love. Ravi then falls in love with a Brazilian woman, Camilla. As she tries to adapt to Hindu culture, she provokes conflict in the Ananda family of tradespeople, as Raj's younger sister Shanti aspires to become educated and eschews the traditional roles for women favoured by her mother. Ravi and Camilla eventually marry.

Production

Locations

Artistic and general director Marcos Schechtman and director Fred Mayrink traveled to India to write the telenovela's first scenes, which began filming on 1 October 2008 in the cities of Jaipur and Agra. In addition to 40 people from the Brazilian team, the telenovela had partnered with a local producer. The modern architecture of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, also served as filming locations for the show at the end of October.

Sets and art direction

In order to recreate the environment for the story, three city sets were constructed at the Globo TV Studios Complex in Rio de Janeiro, totalling. One of these sets imitates the typical architecture of the Lapa neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, while the other two attempt to recreate features of the Indian state of Rajasthan.
Using the cities of Jaipur, Jodhpur and Mumbai as references, the art director built 42 shops and a temple of Shiva, in addition to the street façade for a movie theater, and terracota-colored households of the four main Indian families of the story. One of the margins of the Ganges was also reproduced, through an artificial lake built near the entrance of the studio complex.
The art production team, led by Mario Monteiro, attempted to reproduce an Indian universe on camera. The Indian core of the telenovela received a very colorful ambiance, with Hindi inscriptions, in comparison to the clean aesthetics of the Brazilian scenarios. The sets were dressed with Indian items which were purchased or reproduced, and vehicles used in India were built by the team to fill the street of the artificial city.
The wardrobe was also carefully studied by Emilia Duncan. Women's traditional clothes, such as the sari were recreated, although with a bit of poetic license, thus bringing some clothing usually used in rituals for the everyday wearing.

Cast

ActorCharacter
Karina FerrariAnusha Ananda
Cadu PaschoalHari Hitid
Laura BarretoLalit
Nahuana CostaMalika

ActorCharacter
Sidney SantiagoAdemir
Brendha HaddadRani Meetha
Vitória FrateJúlia Cadore
Márcio VitoRamu Hitid

ActorCharacter
Vera FischerChiara
Eva TodorCidinha
Elias GleizerSenhor Cadore
Murilo RosaLucas Garrido
Maitê ProençaFernanda Estevanato

;Invited Actresses
ActorCharacter
Laura CardosoLaksmi Ananda
Jandira MartiniPuja Hitid
Eliane GiardiniIndira Ananda
Nívea MariaKochi Meetha

ActorCharacter
Osmar PradoManu Meetha
José de AbreuSacerdote Pandit
Flávio MigliaccioKaran Ananda

Lima Duarte as "Shankar Sundrani"
Stênio Garcia as "Dr. Castanho"
Tony Ramos as "Opash Ananda"

Soundtrack

Caminho das Índias vol. 1, ''National''

Cover: Juliana Paes
  1. Beedi Jalaile – Sukhwinder Singh & Sunidhi Chauhan
  2. Eu Nasci Há Dez Mil Anos Atrás – Nando Reis
  3. Pára-Raio – Skank
  4. Uma Prova De Amor – Zeca Pagodinho
  5. Vamos Fugir – Gilberto Gil
  6. Ela Disse – Marcelo D2
  7. Memórias – Pitty
  8. Martelo Bigorna – Lenine
  9. Nada Por Mim – Paula Toller
  10. Alma – Zélia Duncan
  11. Sob Medida – Isabella Taviani
  12. Lembra De Mim – Emílio Santiago
  13. Amor, Meu Grande Amor – Ângela Rô Rô
  14. Não Se Esqueça De Mim – Nana Caymmi & Erasmo Carlos
  15. Feliz – Gonzaguinha
  16. O Vento Vai Responder – Zé Ramalho
  17. Dois pra lá, dois pra cá – Elis Regina
  18. Até Quem Sabe – Nara Leão
  19. Sufoco da Vida – Harmonia Enlouquece
  20. Você Não Vale Nada – Calcinha Preta

    Caminho das Índias vol. 2, ''Indian''

  21. Beedi Jalaile – Sunidhi Chauhan, Sukhwinder Singh, Nachiketa Chakraborty and Clinton Cerejo
  22. Kajra Re – Alisha Chinai, Shankar Mahadevan and Javed Ali
  23. Nagada Nagada – Sonu Nigam and Javed Ali
  24. Sajna Ve Sajna – Sunidhi Chauhan
  25. Main Vari Vari – Kavita Krishnamurti and Reena Bharadwaj
  26. Mast Kalandar – Sunidhi Chauhan
  27. Chori Chori Gori Se – Abhijeet and Udit Narayan
  28. Salaam-E-Ishq – Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal
  29. Salaam – Alka Yagnik
  30. Azeem o Shaan Shahensh – Mohamed Aslam
  31. Bangra Jaya – Alexandre de Faria

    Caminho das Índias vol. 3, ''Lapa''

Cover: Juliana Alves
  1. Eu vou pra Lapa – Alcione
  2. Malandro é malandro, mané é mané – Diogo Nogueira
  3. Só faltou você Lado a Lado B – Leandro Sapucahy
  4. Vaso Ruim – Casuarina
  5. Tristeza Pé no Chão – Teresa Cristina & Grupo Semente
  6. Amor de verdade – Beth Carvalho
  7. Errei – Sururu na Roda
  8. Pretinha Jóia Rara – Moyseis Marques
  9. Em Desfile Chatos – Jota Canalha
  10. Sal e Pimenta – Gabriel o Pensador
  11. Puro êxtase – Barão Vermelho
  12. Anjo da madrugada – Babi Xavier
  13. Lourinha Bombril – Bangalafumenga
  14. Legal, Vou ficar – Quatro Fatos
  15. Põe aê uma música – DJ Alex Guedes
  16. Uma flor uma raiz – Fino
  17. Coletivo Mezcla – Riosalsa

    Caminho das Índias vol. 4, ''International''

  18. Halo – Beyoncé Knowles
  19. Thinking of You – Katy Perry
  20. Orishas – Público
  21. Never Gonna Be Alone – Nickelback
  22. Tip of My Tongue – Something Sally feat. Joss Stone
  23. Small Talk – Ovi
  24. To Love you All Over Again – Madeleine Peyroux
  25. Sober – Pink
  26. Use Somebody – Kings Of Leon
  27. Lies – McFly
  28. Madly – Tristan Prettyman
  29. Quando e se – Ari Hest
  30. Lay Lady Lay – Dan
  31. I'm in the Mood for Love – Daniel Boaventura
  32. All the Way – Ronaldo Canto e Mello
  33. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes – Oséas

    Caminho das Índias vol. 5, ''Instrumental''

  34. Os portais do Taj Mahal – Alexandre de Faria
  35. Tema de Maya e Bahuan – Alexandre de Faria
  36. Quase um Intocável – Alexandre de Faria
  37. Caminho das Índias – Alexandre de Faria
  38. Nos passos de Shankar – Alexandre de Faria
  39. Meu Salaam – Alexandre de Faria
  40. Meditação e Karma – Alexandre de Faria
  41. Re Tchori – Alexandre de Faria
  42. Habanera para Tarso – Alexandre de Faria
  43. Maxixe Chorado – Alexandre de Faria
  44. Uma Canção sem Palavras – Alexandre de Faria
  45. Tango da Ausência – Alexandre de Faria
  46. Berceuse pour un Nuit – Alexandre de Faria
  47. Toda Levada – Alexandre de Faria

    Awards

In November 2009, Caminho das Índias was recognized as Best Telenovela in the 2009 International Emmy Awards.
In Brazil, it won four awards for Best Telenovela.
The cast won several awards.
Bruno Gagliasso won five awards for Best Supporting Actor.
Dira Paes won four awards for Best Supporting Actress.
Rodrigo Lombardi won two awards for Best Actor.
Juliana Paes won one award for Best Actress.