Mountains of the Moon (2013) Movie Script
Hello.-
-Shankar...
The new station master.
Glad to meet you Shankar.
I'm Moviru. Uganda Railways.
Jabari and Akbar.-
-Hello, Sir.
Hello.
So...
how long have you been in Africa?-
-I came a few days ago.
Why?
I mean is it the...
your job?
Or the jungle?
Both in my case.
I love Africa.
Mjihadhari na Afrika.
Sorry?
Nothing. It's just a Swahili joke.
Oh.
I see.
Okay, I must move on.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Good day.-
-Good luck. Thank you.
Bye Jabari. Bye Akbar.
Be careful, sir.
Jihadharini na nyoka,
keep simba mbali
Shut up!
Dear Mother,
I've come back to an inhabited
area from the jungles again.
Shankar has come back to the
civilized world from the jungle again.
At present he is staying at a
hotel in the Rhodesian city, Salisbury.
He has grown older but here
mains our wayward Shankar.
Did you get hurt?
Hurt you hard?
Why?
You've only tickled me,
a pleasant feeling.
Come on get up.
Shankar yearns for the twittering of
the birds back in his Keotia's dusk.
Purushottam Paramatma.-
-Baba(father)...-
-Yes son.
See what I've got.-
-What is it?
Livingstone's diary.
Found it in the library...
of the Friend's Association.-
-Very good.
See!
Ma(mother).
Oh Ma.-
-What is it?
Climbing trees, swimming around,
talking the Zamindar's jockey
into letting you ride the horse;
is this your age to do all this?
You're well aware of your Baba's health.
Deteriorating everyday.
This house is all we
have for a property.
And some tiny pieces of land.
We're loaded in debts.
How can this go on son?
It can't.
You've passed the FA.
Played around enough.
It's time you got hold of Atin and got
yourself a job at the Shyamnagar jute mill.
I have spoken to his wife.
Ma.
Have you...
ever heard of John Cabot?
Famous navigator.
He was poorer than us.
But by working at a fish factory
he made the ship of his dreams
and set out to America.
It is important to have
the drive to set out, Ma.
If you have the drive,
you'll find a way.
Shankar never understood...
the worth of his
homeland when he was back home.
Today he does.
He misses his neighbors and
friends back at Keotia all the time.
Any of you home?
Who is it?
Your life is about to change!
There's good news!
Look! My son-in-law has sent a letter
to Bhadreshwar's house!
Is that so?-
-Yes.
Please come in!-
-Yes, sure.
My son-in-law has replied!
Probably Shankar had
asked him to look for a job.
About seven months ago.
Job?-
-Yes!
Your son-in-law's letter?-
-Yes!
You can be assured that
your son has found a job.
My son-in-law writes that he has
spoken to his department already.
See!-
-Prasad?
Finally!
God has finally blessed us!-
-Yes.
May God bless Prasad.
Where does your son-in-law live?
Africa.
Mombasa!
British Africa!
Africa?
That is far far away.
Foreign land.
Will he be able to manage?
Yes. Sure I will, Ma.
Mr. Prasad's invitation letter
that arrived from Mombasa...
changed the very
purpose of Shankar's life.
A clerical job at the
Shyamnagar jute mill
could've easily faded away his dreams.
Thank you, brother.-
-I am an experienced jeweler.
Inhabitant of Kimberley.
I know about diamonds, Shankar. Come.
Abdu will take you to
Nakuru station, alright?
Okay.-
-Shankar...
Here.
On his way to Victoria Nwanzar
through Kisumu in North Kenya
Shankar saw his dreams coming true.
Habari za asubuhi Afrika.
Good morning, Africa.
This is Athi river.
Full of hippos and crocs.
Careful Shankar.
We call kiboko.
Mamba in Swahili.
Mount Longonot... the 'mountain of spars'.
Africans say...
'ooolongonot'.
Africans call it, 'iron snake'.
Uganda Railways.
Habari ya asubuhi, Mr. Patel.
Badala yako imefika.
What does that mean?
This will wake him up...
if he is still alive.
I said, your reliever has come.
Yes, namaste (hello),
Mr. Choudhury.
Dinesh Patel here.
Shankar. Nice to meet
you Mr. Patel.
Were you keen on
taking up abstinence?
That too at this age?
No.
I love globe-trotting.
The spirit?
Good.
I just want to go home now.
Here, Mr. Choudhury.
Your new home.
One train a day.
No work.
Come.
Your palace.
Your scepter.
And your kingdom.
Goodbye Mr. Choudhury.
Thank you Mr. Patel.
Kwahari, Africa!
'Kwahari' means 'farewell'.
Plenteous salary.
The work was only to day-dream.
At every day's end only
one train trotted that path.
Why then did Patel, give
up on this dream job?
A few days later, the only
train of the day
had left Shankar
behind in the evening.
Hey!
Come on.
Steady!
Shankar!
Shankar?
Is there anything wrong,
Mr. Choudhury?
Long night I suppose.
Is everything in order?
I hurt my knee.
Rocks or Mosquitoes?
Lion.
You didn't tell me Moviru.
Where's your horse?
He ran away.
I lost him.
So you're going to
quit your job?
Like the other Station Masters.
No.
You help me out.
Well, what do you need?
Protection?
Caviar 88 bolt action rifle.
And an Irish field hunter horse
There is an old Masai saying.
Foolishness first.
Wisdom later.
The fight would continue
from sunrise to sunset.
Severe humidity.
But this was exactly the life
Shankar wanted.
These unpeopled horizons.
These mysterious nights.
Skies studded with
billions of stars.
The aroma of danger.
Now that is life!
Uganda Railways?
Kenya.
What a country!
I always said there was
a mole on your foot.
Were you ever fated
to family life?
Listen, you must not
discourage our son.
This is his age to wander, to
make adventures, to see the world.
Highlands of British East Africa!
Dark continent!
But even in that land the
moon illuminates the sky.
Olapa! The Masais call it
the Goddess of Moons!
She lights up the
entire subcontinent!
Have you read that book, Baba?
Maneaters of Tzavo?-
-Yes!
I've read it. Know the story?-
-Yes!
These ill-omened myths!
Coffee.
A Black Mamba!
I told you.
Beware of snakes, Sir.
I understand.
Earlier too two station masters have
been killed by the Black Mamba.
Why didn't you tell me?
Our job, sir.
Job.
They will throw us
out if we open our mouth.
African saying,
'Snakes are holy,
men are not'.
Scared?
Snakes are holy.
Not men.
I'm scared of you Moviru.
Don't be.
Caviar.
Bolt action rifle.
Here.
Don't worry, I'll
show you how it works.
I appreciate this.
The field hunter horse!
Stallion mustang!
The Bahati Escarpments,
few miles from here.
We have supervisors
there. Friends.
Somali. Swahilis,
Indians, Masai.
I will send them to help
you fight the snakes.
And the lions too. You will
enjoy the Masai dancing.
The next day, when he went
to get water near Bahati,
he heard a thrilling sound.
Piercing through the
heart of the primitive jungle
approached the Jihadi sound of
the Masai people's Adamu dance.
How may I help you?
Namaste Mr. Choudhury.
Shankar.-
-Tirumal Appa.
I'm from Madurai. At the
service of the British Empire.
Nice to see someone from home.
It is a real privilege for
me too Mr. Choudhury.
And...
Carbolic acid
You mentioned.
I'm from the Bahati
escarpment. Heard about you.
You fought the lion.
Alone.
I managed to escape.
'sana jasiri'
Very brave.
In Swahili language,
a true Masai.
That's flattering.
We need to fence the
station with Acacia.
The Masai trick to fight
the lions.
And remember,
don't leave the cabin unarmed.
The Africans say
'mwindaji au kuomba'.
Either you're a
predator or a prey.
Result of a big forest fire.
It happens often
around this time.
In another three months
I'll be back home.
India.
And your job?
I've applied for one in Madras.
It has been a while since
I've seen my family.
My fiancee.
She's gorgeous.
Yes. I am going to get
married this year.
And Africa?
I'm closing that chapter.
I didn't come to Africa
only for work.
I came here for adventure.
I'm done with it.
I've had enough.
Now you're going back to India.
That too not for the job.
For the girl.
Right?
I too miss Ma a lot.
Everyday I wonder...
Everyday I wonder...
Everyday I wonder...
you see those stars?
That moonlight.
They get to see my mother
everyday from Keutiya.
But I can't.
Masais say, Olapa.
The Goddess of Moon.
She's watching everyone.
From the onset of the project
Uganda Railways
is facing trouble.
Such as?
Prohibited cost, hostile tribes,
man-eating lions.
The Masais, the Nandis,
they have always fought
against the white men.
At Kedong,
the Masais attacked a
railway worker's caravan.
Killed around...
five hundred white men.
But why?
Because two tribal girls were
violated and brutally killed.
Such things are happening
in India too.
Yes
The geography varies.
But the colonial rule doesn't.
The colour of the skin,
unimportant.
I'm done with my beer.
Would you like to have one?-
-No thanks.
Let me get you a beer, wait.
Tirumal.
Tirumal.
Hey, you left your
rifle in the cabin.
Tirumal.
How can you leave your rifle?
Tirumal, where are...
Tirumal, where are you?
Tirumal, where are you?
Get me Matiera!
Fast!
Shankar knew that the
Masais hunted in herds.
They call it 'Olamayio'.
But he had never even dreamed
that he'd become one of them.
He felt like an Empika that day.
'Empika' means warrior.
They searched the entire day.
But could not find
Tirumal anywhere.
Within the laps of
Africa's dense forests
a young man from our
India was lost for ever.
Shankar's only friend in this
country, Tirumal Appa.
Shankar could
not control himself anymore.
He used himself as the bait,
just like the Masais.
You're a true brave Masai.
The locket Matiera gave him,
stayed with him forever.
The best gift Africa gave him.
After this his days in Nakuru
station went by peacefully.
But in a few days
Shankar realized
'peace' was not the inherent
nature of his life.
Hey man.
What's your name? What
were you doing in the velds?
Alvarez.
Diego Alvarez.
Are you okay?
How are you feeling?
It was nearly impossible to
find a friend in that lonely station.
So Alvarez's presence had
rather made him happy.
He believed that this Portuguese
man would gradually recover.
Who are you?
Shhh.
But he hadn't expected
that Diego Alvarez
would change the very
purpose and pace of his life.
Voc? 'o presente de dues'
I am a Bengali. Indian.
Don't understand your language.-
-I say,
you are a gift from God.-
-Why?
I know.
Umm..anjo...
an angel from Bengal.
Do you know Bengal?
(Bengali) May God bless you.
What!
Have you heard of Chinsura?
Yes, why wont I.
Chuchura.
Hooghly district.
That's where
I grew up.-
-Really?
My great grandfather
was a clergyman there
He believed in the church.
Is that so?-
-Yes.
Portuguese men, they
settled there in 1537.
They built an idol of Mother Mary
and the church there.
What are you saying!
Then the great anarchy came and
the Mughals arrested them and
Emperor Shah Jahan
resettled them down by the river.
And then?-
-My family...
went back to Portugal.
To the city of Evora.
I decided to come to Africa.
? procura de ouro
diamantes
Gold and diamonds?
Yes.
I set out for the
'Mountain of the Moon'.
Chander Pahar.
I found a friend
in Rhodesia.
Jim Carter. He had a map.
Carter and I...
we set out...
to explore the Richtersveld.
Do you still have the map?
Yes.
Are you...
mad for diamonds?-
-No!
I want to explore Africa!
I want to see...
the entire world!
I want to explore it.
Like Livingstone!
Our aim was...
by the way...
where did you get this map?
Moviru.
Our aim was...
Orange river.
That was where Carter had
once found a chunk of silver.
Coming to the plains from
Drakensberg, the river flowed
towards the Atlantic crossing
Africa's Kimberley, Upington.
After traveling for four
months by the river
we entered a Zulu village.
Save him!
She's been shuddering
in pain all night.
Why is she crying?
Her daughter's unwell.
She pleads with the doctor
for help - Inyanga.
The doctor gives her a
'White muthi' - traditional.
I carry medicines.
I could be of help.
Who are you?-
-Good morning, chief.
I am Jim Carter, he
is Diego Alvarez, my friend.
Hello.-
-We're globe trotters.
I have the medicine
to this disease.
King Beza is very happy with
you. Your medicine cured her.
King Beza will
see you tomorrow morning.
Thank you very much
for saving life.
Intombi.
Bekhifa, give that to me.
Yes, chief.
Isipho.
Thank you your highness.
This is a gift.
You...
our guest.
Village... you stay back.
Thank you so much.
We both need to go.
Where do you go?
Where did you get this?
Mountain of Moon.
Richtersveld.
We go to the Mountain of Moon.
No one goes to Mountian of Moon!
Ingozi. Very dangerous.
What! What danger?
No one comes back
from Mountain of Moon!
Why is he afraid?
His Highness warns you.
Everyone gets
killed by the Bunyip.
Bunyip?-
-He protects the diamonds.
In spite of the warning...
we set out for the Richtersveld.
We had been maddened by
our obsession for diamonds.
None of them agreed
to come along.
What about Bunyip?
Bom deus
ele 'o inferno'
Bunyip. The one
who protects the diamonds.
And then?
A morte veio
aproximando-se
We faced the inevitable death.
Patience Diego. Patience.
But we have no food.
We have no bullets!
We have not a bit of
energy left in our body.
We stand so close to success.
We could make a fortune!
Can we Jimmy? Could we?
The Zulu people, they've told us,
they've showed us the diamonds.
They also warned us Jim.
They warned us.
So what do you suggest uh?
A glorious retreat!
For the time being.
We'll come back with resources.
We'll start afresh.
For twenty days now we've
been trying to find a way.
It's like chasing a
wild goose Jim. Yes!
Chasing a dream Diego.
I have dreamt about
this all my life.
Bunyip.
I did not go further.
I...
I buried Carter there and...
I returned to the Zulu village.
The Zulu chief Bekhifa
had gifted this locket
to Carter.
It is for the one...
who loves Africa.
It is for the one...
who lives on the edge.
Can't we explore it again?
Explore what?
The Mountain of Moon.
Shankar was up
thinking that entire night.
He couldn't sleep.
The next morning he ran to
the Uganda Railways office
with his resignation.
Richtersveld?
I won't stop you Shankar.
Security...
security is a superstition.
Whether the path be
known or unknown
in reality,
through your failures
you're discovering your
own self, Shankar.
In African they say,
'Kuona Tena'
See you again.
Thank you Prasad.
Kuona Tena.
They say we are civilized...
because we have guns.
But the jungle is uncivilized.
Even if...
you carry fire arms...
The dance of primitive man around fire.
It's a prey...
-predator relationship.
The ancient trees on
their eternal vigil.
Africa...
is calling us Shankar!
Can you hear the call?
Yes.
Mountain of the Moon.
The Mountain of the
Moon is calling out to us.
Are you ready?
Let's go!
From Kisumu they crossed the
Victoria lake to reach Nayanza.
Their journey began.
Then they reached Tabaro
from the port of Meyanza.
Nights came and passed by.
They lost count of the days.
They keep proceeding
through the spine of Africa.
The journey seemed eternal.
Mount Kilimanjaro, now
German East African territory.
That peak over there...
smoke coming out of
it... that is dormant volcano.
Peak Kibo.
It can erupt any moment.
Kilimanjaro has two other volcanoes.
Shira and Mawenzi.
They're both dead.
Come.
Let's get going.
Lake Tanganyka.
Second largest in the world,
I had read it in Geography.
And very very deep as well.
You know what 'fossil water' is?
Water, so deep,
that even oxygen does not reach there.
From this port of Ujiji...
we begin our journey on water.
Tanganyka's lion is man-eater.
But the people of Kabalo...
are far more dangerous.
Gamblers.
Drunkards.
Full of...
rowdy Portuguese and Belgians.
Navigators?
You could say so. This is more like...
how do say it... pirates.
But they have got...
the map of Rhodesia.
I...
bought some food from Albertville.
That should suffice for a few days.
Sailing through river
Lukaga from Tanganyka,
they reached the port
of river Congo, Kabalo.
That's where they
faced the first danger.
Grande!
You from East Indies?
Yes.
You know me?
No.
I'm Albuquerque.
I rule Kabalo!
You...
me...
poker huh?
Sorry. No gambling.
No?
I said I don't gamble.
You don't say no to me.
You understand? Nobody says no to me!
I call you for a duel.
I don't kill men without reason.
But you'll have to kill me.
Duel or poker.
What do you choose? Come on! Tell me!
A parada
fica onde voc -
todo o mundo
A Portuguese?
Yes.
And a crack shot
too. Now leave him alone.
Leave him alone! No duels!
No poker!
We want your help.
And we will pay for it.
Money.
We'll give you money.
Okay?
Okay?
Okay?
Money?
What do you want?
What for?
Richtersveld.
Yes.-
-You crazy?
You mad?
To some extent, of course.
Okay.
But now you eat.
Now eat.
Taste sardines. Tastes good.
Comes from Tanganyika.
Taste it. Tastes good!
Good!-
-Thank you.
Okay?
No duel.
No poker.
Why the Richtersveld?
Passion.
We love Africa.
We love exploring land.
You think I am an idiot?
Now do you really believe we're mad?
You are surely crazy!
You need maps?-
-We do.
Accurate maps.
You've come to the right place.
I'll give you.
You be careful.
Very very careful.
Your route to the Richtersveld.
Sankini. From there we start walking.
We will reach Marius's bungalow.
Who's Marius?
He is an Afrikaans hunter.
Jacobus Marius.
He lives alone by the forest.
Once we cross Marius's bungalow...
we lose all
contact with civilization.
As instructed by
Albuquerque they sailed from Kabalo
through river Congo to reach Sankini.
From Sankini they started to walk.
The goal was to reach
the island of Rhodesia,
located further south in Africa.
The route through the jungle
starts after we cross river Chambezi.
We will be able to see the
Victoria falls on our way.
Sera grande.
Portuguese!
Sounds good.-
-Picked up some words.
Shankar had read about the
Victoria falls many a times.
Now, he finally got to see it
in front of his eyes.
Mosi-oa-Tunya, Its real name.
David Livingstone had named it
Victoria falls.-
-I've read about it.
Which means right now
we're near river Zambezi.
We're about to enter Rhodesia.
We will spend the night here.
In the dark of the night,
the Victoria Falls
creates a 'Moonbow'.
What is that?
Created through the moonlight...
a rainbow of the night.
Mosi-oa-Tunya,
the Smoke...
that Thunders.
Come on.
Now Richtersveld.
And there's Marius' bungalow.
Welcome to Rhodesia, Diego!-
-Long time!
I see you've survived that dusty road.
Riolino Cavalkanti Gatti, know him?
Oh yes, the famous Italian sailor.
Ah! Very good!
Yes, one of his descendants,
now he explored the Richtersveld.
Must be thirty years back.
He was a learned man,
held degrees from the
Universities of London and Piza.
He bacame a...
a globe trotter.
Yes, very much so.
You know...
he became a sailor too.
They were voyaging for
the Dutch Indies Islands.
A voyage...
that was to end in a shipwreck...
off the West African coast lands.
Only seven among the
sailors survived...
and made it to the coast of Africa.
They took refuge in the...
in the villages
inhabited by the Zulu nation.
From the tribal people they learnt
about the diamonds in the Richtersveld.
So all the seven of the
sailors headed by Gatti...
set out for the lower velds.
And finally after confronting...
all natural resistance...
got into the cave.
And supposedly they found the diamonds.
Supposedly.
Oh yes. It's all a Zulu myth.
They say Gatti discovered
the cave! Whoa! The cave...
through which three rivulets flow.
It's holy for the Zulus.
And then?
And then?
Some of the survivors
were killed by the Bunyip.
Gatti had led the expedition...
back to the Chimanimani range...
across the Kalahari.-
-Thank you.
But why did they not
retrace their steps?
Ah!
Lord Buddha,
said, an evil friend is more
to be feared than a wild beast.
I drink to that.
Now Gatti and his
comrades had the diamonds.
The diamonds caused a fight
betweenthe four survivors and three...
of the cursed
sailors killed each other.
And Gatti?
Nobody knows what happened to Gatti.
He never came back.
Have you ever met Gatti?
Oh yes.
Oh... before they set
out for the velds...
I gifted him...
the holy cross. One
similar to this one.
But you know the Bunyip
could've killed long before...-
The Bunyip doesn't actually kill.
Greed kills humans.
Humans are the killers.
Humans are the sinners.
Not the beasts.
Shankar had seen the dense
junglefrom Jacobus Marius's bunglow.
Following that jungle
trail began the long journey.
By foot.
After walking through the
jungles for about two months,
Shankar and Alvarez reached
the grasslands of the hills.
That's where they
set up their tents.
What a sight!
Shankar!
Wake up!
Good morning.
Put these over your eyes.
Cover your eyes, Shankar.
What is going on?
Open your eyes.
Africa has a pleasant surprise for you.
It is still forty miles away.
The Mountain of the Moon.
'Chader Pahar'!
Goodbye civilization.
Adios civilization.
What are you thinking?-
- I'm thinking...
even a few days ago I was a
jobless youngster in Keutiya.
Came to Mombasa
looking for a job.
Station master of Nakuru.
You know I've
seen death up close.
I've understood one thing,
It's not important how
long you live before death,
how long you live after death,
That matters.
It is not the length
of my life that matters,
It's the depth of my life.
You think we'll
ever find diamonds?
God knows.
I've not found any as yet.
But I could not surrender.
Only running after...
Diamonds.
Not running after diamonds only...
running after the passion
to find something huge.
Something huge!
Come on.
We set out early
at dawn tomorrow.
Who are you?- -Don't shoot!
We're not hunting.-
- Call the others!
Come here.
But what are you doing here?
Have some food.
They're saying thank
you.- -Coffee for you.
I know Bekhifa, the chief.
You know Bekhifa? Hail Bekhifa!
Our chief!
Its very nice to meet you too.
We're going to Richtersveld.
Don't go there!
Would you like to come with us?
The Mountain of the Moon.
Very dangerous.
The Bunyip will kill you.
They were from
the Matabele tribe.
Though the Matabele's
warned them, they went ahead.
Hey Diego...
can we stop over
here for sometime?
Why? Are you tired?
Need to drink some water.
Let's start after that?
Water looks clear.
No, maybe for tea
or maybe some coffee.
Why?
I've tasted this water, it's
acidic, no good for the health.
You Europeans should
drink some fresh water...
Instead of coffee and beer.
You'll feel good. Let's go.
Yes.
The jungle trail
ends in the river bed.
That spring. We've to reach
there and then we start climbing.
This is our steps
of stairs to freedom!
Hence, they started
climbing the mountains.
It seemed Alvarez was
an adept mountaineer.
All the experience Shankar
had was climbing trees.
Shankar!
Hold on!
Walking another 2 days they
reached a height of 7500 feet.
The surroundings had gone quiet.
Like a natural conspiracy.
The food is over Shankar.
Now what?
Not a bird in sight to kill.
Then?
We have two choices.
Either we eat less and carry on
Or we head back to Rhodesia.
Yield to fate. Simple.
I anyway eat less and
You have coffee.
That's the spirit.
I spotted two
springbok deer there.
They're notoriously difficult.
I'll go.
78. Be careful, don't lose
your way.- -Don't worry.
The Portuguese man
saved Shankar's life.
Initially Diego thought
Shankar had fainted because
Of Maleria...
Or snake bite.
But his experience of
the jungle guided him.
How long have I been
sleeping?- -Almost sixteen hours.
The Iboga tree has
an attractive fragrance.
I remember.
Fragrance of a sweet flower.
If you breathe in the aroma
you're bound to fall asleep. Most
of the people die of muscle paralysis.
I am...
Thank you.- -For what?
For saving my life.
Here, coffee.
You know Shankar,
I owe you my life.
You brought me back
to the expedition.
Now this is one of the
most ancient forests...
in the world.- -Home
for Jurassic reptiles?
Possible.
But even at this height
we didn't find the saddle.
Now this...
is our way to the core regions
Of the Richtersveld.
What does the map say?
Your Sir Filippo de Filppi?
No, he is only confusing us.
He only climbed the Ferdinando
Po peak in Portuguese West Africa.
He never went to Richtersveld.
Then?
No! Don't move!
We must not pull the fire.
We must not go outside.
You must keep your rifle loaded.
May God
Be with us.
The next morning Shankar
found the foot marks
of the creature
that had visited them.
They reminded him of
Zulu chief, Bekhifa's warning
And Jim Carter's death.
They had set foot on a territory which
the Bunyip had been silently ruling.
The Richtersveld
is 8000 sq.miles.
That is why I marked
a tree over there.
Or else you get lost.
Let's go my friend.
00:16:38:6 The rain and thunder led
Shankar to ask himself for the first time,
why Africa?
Let's go back home.
But there was no point saying that
to the group leader Diego, at the trek.
So he kept walking.
Shankar, wake up!
Shankar!
It is the Bunyip again.
The Bunyip? -Yes. Don't!
He's outside the tent.
Let's chase him.- -No.
We'll finish him off.- -No!
Not now!
I'll make some
coffee for the night.
And you?
I can't sleep.
Insomnia.
Diego.
Drum beats.
Can you hear that?
Those are apes...
Beating their chests.
Gorillas?
Give me your hand.
Grande!
What is it?
=I think we've finally found
the saddle. We've spotted it.
The diamond mine
is not so far Shankar.
Let's go.
Careful.
1Have we finally found the river?
What do you think?
We've to check.
Look for yellow stones.
If this river passes through
the cave we're looking for
there must some
trace of a diamond.
This river carries yellow silt!
But there's no stone.-
- That yellow silt...
is nothing but gold my son.
Gold!
This river must have flown
down touching a gold mine.
Yes!
Which means if we look inside
this sand, our fortunes may change?
No Shankar, spend all day but
you won't gather more
than 3 ounces of gold here.
Africa is full of such rivers.
I think...
we should go back to Salisbury.
Come.
Let's go back.
What for?
We're out of our resources.
And we need a new map.
We draw the new map son.
That's the rule of expedition.
As you say.
Is this an earthquake?
It is a seismic zone.
Prone to...
Earthquakes.
Come, let's go back to the tent.
Another earthquake?
No, I smell sulphur.-
- You mean to say...
.. we're standing on
a highly seismic zone!
I think it's worse than that,
Remember I asked you not to
drink the water of that lake?
Yes... but...
It's sour.
It's sour. It's acidic.
What do you mean?-
- All I know is, Shankar,
A mountain with innumerable cracks,
A hot spring flowing through it,
Which tastes acidic.
Have you ever read about Vesuvius?
Have you?
Yes, I have.
Move!
What's happening?-
- Watch out Diego!
Shankar, take him!
Oh God!
Come on Shankar!
It's a volcano.
Can't believe this!
It's pyroclastic ash.
It follows any
volcanic eruption.
But you know...
Nobody mentioned
an active volcano here,
in the Richtersveld.
And we discovered it.
- Yes, we did.
Maybe it has been dormant.
Who knows.
The Zulu's believed...
This mountain
Belongs to the guard of fire.
God of fire.
Hurt your knee?
It's nothing.
What we proposed
Nature disposed.
Here's where our journey ends.
Says who?
Your god of fire.
He volcano has
changed out destiny.
The diamonds quest...
Ends here.
Cheer up Shankar.
This mountain might have
opened the gates of heaven for us.
That night's volcanic eruption had
taken away their little shelters too.
But still that natural calamity
could not daunt the brave Alvarez.
Trekking uphill and downhill through
Richtersveld they kept progressing
In search of the unknown
caves and the river.
Looking for something?- -No.
There was one thing
Alvarez hadn't told Shankar.
Before they reached the river,
after 3 months they had come back
to the same tree Alvarez
had marked with his initials.
In the jungle it's
called a Death Circle.
We've to stop here
for tonight, Shankar.
Get some fire wood
and start the fire up.
Diego...
What are you thinking?
Looking worried.
Wondering...
contemplating the future.
Are you afraid?
The star-chart says
we've not yet been able to
break out of the Death Circle.
And that's unfortunate.
The evening is falling.
Let me light up the fire.
Look Shankar, it's a
canopy full of stars.
They will guide us.
The Sirius
The Canopus. The
Alpha centauri.
The Milky Way!
Will you teach me
how to use the sextant?
Sure. You need to learn.
I learnt the use of compass
From my dad.
Keep him alive.
It is better to travel well
Than to arrive.
Take rest.
I'll get onto that hillock.
Yes.
Wish me luck.
Boa sorte.
Boa sorte?
Eureka!
I got it my son.
I've spotted the location.
The diamond cave!
We're closer than we think.
Bunyip!
Oh my God!
Hey!
Diego! Damn it Diego fire!
Diego!
Diego!
Diego!
Adios...
Goodbye my friend.
Diego... you'll be okay!
After losing Alvarez Shankar had
stopped looking for the treasure.
His goal was to
go back to Rhodesia.
He could not learn how to
use a sextant from Alvarez.
The compass wasn't working too.
So getting lost in this
Vast, unknown land was inevitable.
Seeing the Zulu paintings,
Shankar entered the cave of death.
This was probably the
cave Marius and the Zulu chief
Had mentioned.
So dark!
Dark!
I can hear water!
I hear water!
Water!
Water!
I can hear it!
I want water!
I want water.
00:18:3:00 I'm hungry.
Sunlight!
The sound is
coming from this side.
I can hear water.
Water!
Shankar was trapped.
Though he did find water
after a lot of foraging,
there was not one animal in that
cave that could be hunted and eaten.
Water!
Hence he desperately
tried to look for a way out.
In the lap of the dark death,
it is easy to get delusioned,
by a little ray of hope.
Shankar never figured out how many
days he had been trapped in the cave.
Gradually Shankar was losing the
physical and mental power to go on.
I can't lose.
I can't lose.
I can't lose.
Here it is.
Here's the way.
But in this while,
Shankar had learned a lot.
So he recalled Alvarez's
instruction at the right time.
It is important to leave
roadmarkers on the way
if there is a chance of losing
way. Alvarez had told him so.
So he picked up some stones
and pebbles from the cave
to use them as road markers.
I've to get to the bank.
I'll go from that side.
Alvarez's death was
haunting Shankar.
So the ancient animal of Zulu
myths, Bunyip had to pay for it.
When he reached the
jungle from the cave
Shankar came across the
signs of the Bunyip's presence.
After slaying the demon he
began his journey toward Rhodesia.
But not through the jungle anymore.
He put the memento he picked
up from the cave into his pocket
and set out on
another unknown route.
Seeing the grasslands at
lower velds he understood,
that the jungle is over.
Now, Kalahari.
Can't do this anymore.
Water!
Maybe Shankar had
inherited Alvarev's courage.
But had not learned
the use of a sextant.
He wasn't capable of finding out the
true north from the magnetic north
from the compass.
So, losing his way and goal
in the land of eternal desert
was inevitable.
How much more?
I want water.
No water. Food was over.
He realized he had lost his way. He was
walking 30 miles north from the map.
The temperature at Kalahari
was about 55 degrees.
It's chilling!
How much more?
Water!
Water!
Water!
He had lost it in him to get
into another cave again.
But the lions of the desert and
the chilling wind of
the night were scarier.
So he risked it and
went into the cave.
From Marius' holy cross
Shankar recognized Gatti,
who got lost 30 years ago.
"I am a sailor,
I am Attillio Gatti.
I discovered the diamond
cave at the Richtersveld mountains.
But my companions betrayed me
so I took refuge in this cave.
My death is inevitable.
If anyone finds my body,
kindly bury it.
I am leaving five diamonds
in my boot for that person."
But Shankar too had
found the treasure
in the cursed cave
of Richtersveld.
The structure of the pebbles he
had picked up made that clear.
Actually, Shankar had never
seen a raw diamond in his life.
Which is why greed spared him even
when he was trapped in that cave.
There are two ways
you can reach Rhodesia
crossing the
Chimanimani mountain.
That's what Alvarez told him.
Either he'd have to walk around
25miles at the foothills
or he'd have to walk
uphill and downhill.
Shankar made the mistake of
climbing up the mountain.
Inspite of being so close to
civilization he failed to touch it.
When the aeroplane flew
towards the Krugar mountain
the last proof of life,
disappeared.
Water was over.
Only two bullets in hand.
How long does the dew
drop sparkle on a grass?
Truth is, the sky is a mirror
and it mirrors nothing
but the truth
Come.
Baba?
Come, Shankar, come see!
The Goddess of Moon...
Olapa.
You know who Morans are?
Fighters!
Their life is to fight!
Come. Come here!
The primitive man's
dance around fire!
'Eunoto'!
It's just the beginning today!
Africa!
That's a foreign land.
You're not scared
of going to Africa?
The Bunyip doesn't actually kill.
Greed kills humans.
Humans are the sinners.
Not the beast.
There's an explorer
inside you, Shankar.
Keep him alive.
Go to sleep son.
Go, sleep.
It's pretty late.
Food.
Food.
Food.
Food.
Jim Carter.
Diego Alvarez.
Richtersveld.
Why?
Because...
security...
is a...
superstition.
Jim Carter failed.
Diego Alvarez...
no, he failed too.
Attilio Gatti...
has died too.
You too shall die son of Bengal.
You too shall die.
But...
as the brave?
Or as the coward?
Who decides?
Shankar's foot hurt too much
for him to walk.
Shankar's story could've ended
at Chimanimani mountain.
His only remaining asset,
only one bullet.
But the danger was countless.
So he spent quite some
time, deciding.
Death was approaching
him, slowly.
Shankar thought the other two
firings were an illusion.
But then he thought
what if that sound
was proof of human existence!
In this land of lifelessness,
who's existence was
being declared here?
Get the stretcher.
Come! Quick!
Hold him!
He's got a fever.
Bacteremia. We need to get him
to Salisbury, urgently.
The conservators of Krugar
park had saved Shankar.
They had left for Cape Town from
Kimberley on that caterpillar vehicle.
They rescued Shankar.
From the hospital he went to
the office of Salisbury chronicles.
He narrated to
them, the experience.
They printed his story
along with a photograph.
Their only discovery
in the expedition,
the volcano, was
mentioned in the write-up.
Shankar named the volcanic
peak as Mount Alvarez.
But he did not mention
about the diamonds.
He went to shop of the Memon's and
sold four of those six diamonds.
He earned quite some amount.
He put aside two of the
biggest diamonds for his mother.
His mother had struggled
all her life.
He is sending the
diamonds with this letter.
One of them is to be sold so his
father could have the money.
It'll be of help in difficult times for
villagers and neighbours.
And Shankar has bought a steamer
boat from the rest of the diamonds.
For now, he is sailing to
the port of Beira.
Welcome aboard sir, sunny day!
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Set sail Captain.
Destination, sir?
Mountain of the Moon.
What are we waiting for!
-Shankar...
The new station master.
Glad to meet you Shankar.
I'm Moviru. Uganda Railways.
Jabari and Akbar.-
-Hello, Sir.
Hello.
So...
how long have you been in Africa?-
-I came a few days ago.
Why?
I mean is it the...
your job?
Or the jungle?
Both in my case.
I love Africa.
Mjihadhari na Afrika.
Sorry?
Nothing. It's just a Swahili joke.
Oh.
I see.
Okay, I must move on.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Good day.-
-Good luck. Thank you.
Bye Jabari. Bye Akbar.
Be careful, sir.
Jihadharini na nyoka,
keep simba mbali
Shut up!
Dear Mother,
I've come back to an inhabited
area from the jungles again.
Shankar has come back to the
civilized world from the jungle again.
At present he is staying at a
hotel in the Rhodesian city, Salisbury.
He has grown older but here
mains our wayward Shankar.
Did you get hurt?
Hurt you hard?
Why?
You've only tickled me,
a pleasant feeling.
Come on get up.
Shankar yearns for the twittering of
the birds back in his Keotia's dusk.
Purushottam Paramatma.-
-Baba(father)...-
-Yes son.
See what I've got.-
-What is it?
Livingstone's diary.
Found it in the library...
of the Friend's Association.-
-Very good.
See!
Ma(mother).
Oh Ma.-
-What is it?
Climbing trees, swimming around,
talking the Zamindar's jockey
into letting you ride the horse;
is this your age to do all this?
You're well aware of your Baba's health.
Deteriorating everyday.
This house is all we
have for a property.
And some tiny pieces of land.
We're loaded in debts.
How can this go on son?
It can't.
You've passed the FA.
Played around enough.
It's time you got hold of Atin and got
yourself a job at the Shyamnagar jute mill.
I have spoken to his wife.
Ma.
Have you...
ever heard of John Cabot?
Famous navigator.
He was poorer than us.
But by working at a fish factory
he made the ship of his dreams
and set out to America.
It is important to have
the drive to set out, Ma.
If you have the drive,
you'll find a way.
Shankar never understood...
the worth of his
homeland when he was back home.
Today he does.
He misses his neighbors and
friends back at Keotia all the time.
Any of you home?
Who is it?
Your life is about to change!
There's good news!
Look! My son-in-law has sent a letter
to Bhadreshwar's house!
Is that so?-
-Yes.
Please come in!-
-Yes, sure.
My son-in-law has replied!
Probably Shankar had
asked him to look for a job.
About seven months ago.
Job?-
-Yes!
Your son-in-law's letter?-
-Yes!
You can be assured that
your son has found a job.
My son-in-law writes that he has
spoken to his department already.
See!-
-Prasad?
Finally!
God has finally blessed us!-
-Yes.
May God bless Prasad.
Where does your son-in-law live?
Africa.
Mombasa!
British Africa!
Africa?
That is far far away.
Foreign land.
Will he be able to manage?
Yes. Sure I will, Ma.
Mr. Prasad's invitation letter
that arrived from Mombasa...
changed the very
purpose of Shankar's life.
A clerical job at the
Shyamnagar jute mill
could've easily faded away his dreams.
Thank you, brother.-
-I am an experienced jeweler.
Inhabitant of Kimberley.
I know about diamonds, Shankar. Come.
Abdu will take you to
Nakuru station, alright?
Okay.-
-Shankar...
Here.
On his way to Victoria Nwanzar
through Kisumu in North Kenya
Shankar saw his dreams coming true.
Habari za asubuhi Afrika.
Good morning, Africa.
This is Athi river.
Full of hippos and crocs.
Careful Shankar.
We call kiboko.
Mamba in Swahili.
Mount Longonot... the 'mountain of spars'.
Africans say...
'ooolongonot'.
Africans call it, 'iron snake'.
Uganda Railways.
Habari ya asubuhi, Mr. Patel.
Badala yako imefika.
What does that mean?
This will wake him up...
if he is still alive.
I said, your reliever has come.
Yes, namaste (hello),
Mr. Choudhury.
Dinesh Patel here.
Shankar. Nice to meet
you Mr. Patel.
Were you keen on
taking up abstinence?
That too at this age?
No.
I love globe-trotting.
The spirit?
Good.
I just want to go home now.
Here, Mr. Choudhury.
Your new home.
One train a day.
No work.
Come.
Your palace.
Your scepter.
And your kingdom.
Goodbye Mr. Choudhury.
Thank you Mr. Patel.
Kwahari, Africa!
'Kwahari' means 'farewell'.
Plenteous salary.
The work was only to day-dream.
At every day's end only
one train trotted that path.
Why then did Patel, give
up on this dream job?
A few days later, the only
train of the day
had left Shankar
behind in the evening.
Hey!
Come on.
Steady!
Shankar!
Shankar?
Is there anything wrong,
Mr. Choudhury?
Long night I suppose.
Is everything in order?
I hurt my knee.
Rocks or Mosquitoes?
Lion.
You didn't tell me Moviru.
Where's your horse?
He ran away.
I lost him.
So you're going to
quit your job?
Like the other Station Masters.
No.
You help me out.
Well, what do you need?
Protection?
Caviar 88 bolt action rifle.
And an Irish field hunter horse
There is an old Masai saying.
Foolishness first.
Wisdom later.
The fight would continue
from sunrise to sunset.
Severe humidity.
But this was exactly the life
Shankar wanted.
These unpeopled horizons.
These mysterious nights.
Skies studded with
billions of stars.
The aroma of danger.
Now that is life!
Uganda Railways?
Kenya.
What a country!
I always said there was
a mole on your foot.
Were you ever fated
to family life?
Listen, you must not
discourage our son.
This is his age to wander, to
make adventures, to see the world.
Highlands of British East Africa!
Dark continent!
But even in that land the
moon illuminates the sky.
Olapa! The Masais call it
the Goddess of Moons!
She lights up the
entire subcontinent!
Have you read that book, Baba?
Maneaters of Tzavo?-
-Yes!
I've read it. Know the story?-
-Yes!
These ill-omened myths!
Coffee.
A Black Mamba!
I told you.
Beware of snakes, Sir.
I understand.
Earlier too two station masters have
been killed by the Black Mamba.
Why didn't you tell me?
Our job, sir.
Job.
They will throw us
out if we open our mouth.
African saying,
'Snakes are holy,
men are not'.
Scared?
Snakes are holy.
Not men.
I'm scared of you Moviru.
Don't be.
Caviar.
Bolt action rifle.
Here.
Don't worry, I'll
show you how it works.
I appreciate this.
The field hunter horse!
Stallion mustang!
The Bahati Escarpments,
few miles from here.
We have supervisors
there. Friends.
Somali. Swahilis,
Indians, Masai.
I will send them to help
you fight the snakes.
And the lions too. You will
enjoy the Masai dancing.
The next day, when he went
to get water near Bahati,
he heard a thrilling sound.
Piercing through the
heart of the primitive jungle
approached the Jihadi sound of
the Masai people's Adamu dance.
How may I help you?
Namaste Mr. Choudhury.
Shankar.-
-Tirumal Appa.
I'm from Madurai. At the
service of the British Empire.
Nice to see someone from home.
It is a real privilege for
me too Mr. Choudhury.
And...
Carbolic acid
You mentioned.
I'm from the Bahati
escarpment. Heard about you.
You fought the lion.
Alone.
I managed to escape.
'sana jasiri'
Very brave.
In Swahili language,
a true Masai.
That's flattering.
We need to fence the
station with Acacia.
The Masai trick to fight
the lions.
And remember,
don't leave the cabin unarmed.
The Africans say
'mwindaji au kuomba'.
Either you're a
predator or a prey.
Result of a big forest fire.
It happens often
around this time.
In another three months
I'll be back home.
India.
And your job?
I've applied for one in Madras.
It has been a while since
I've seen my family.
My fiancee.
She's gorgeous.
Yes. I am going to get
married this year.
And Africa?
I'm closing that chapter.
I didn't come to Africa
only for work.
I came here for adventure.
I'm done with it.
I've had enough.
Now you're going back to India.
That too not for the job.
For the girl.
Right?
I too miss Ma a lot.
Everyday I wonder...
Everyday I wonder...
Everyday I wonder...
you see those stars?
That moonlight.
They get to see my mother
everyday from Keutiya.
But I can't.
Masais say, Olapa.
The Goddess of Moon.
She's watching everyone.
From the onset of the project
Uganda Railways
is facing trouble.
Such as?
Prohibited cost, hostile tribes,
man-eating lions.
The Masais, the Nandis,
they have always fought
against the white men.
At Kedong,
the Masais attacked a
railway worker's caravan.
Killed around...
five hundred white men.
But why?
Because two tribal girls were
violated and brutally killed.
Such things are happening
in India too.
Yes
The geography varies.
But the colonial rule doesn't.
The colour of the skin,
unimportant.
I'm done with my beer.
Would you like to have one?-
-No thanks.
Let me get you a beer, wait.
Tirumal.
Tirumal.
Hey, you left your
rifle in the cabin.
Tirumal.
How can you leave your rifle?
Tirumal, where are...
Tirumal, where are you?
Tirumal, where are you?
Get me Matiera!
Fast!
Shankar knew that the
Masais hunted in herds.
They call it 'Olamayio'.
But he had never even dreamed
that he'd become one of them.
He felt like an Empika that day.
'Empika' means warrior.
They searched the entire day.
But could not find
Tirumal anywhere.
Within the laps of
Africa's dense forests
a young man from our
India was lost for ever.
Shankar's only friend in this
country, Tirumal Appa.
Shankar could
not control himself anymore.
He used himself as the bait,
just like the Masais.
You're a true brave Masai.
The locket Matiera gave him,
stayed with him forever.
The best gift Africa gave him.
After this his days in Nakuru
station went by peacefully.
But in a few days
Shankar realized
'peace' was not the inherent
nature of his life.
Hey man.
What's your name? What
were you doing in the velds?
Alvarez.
Diego Alvarez.
Are you okay?
How are you feeling?
It was nearly impossible to
find a friend in that lonely station.
So Alvarez's presence had
rather made him happy.
He believed that this Portuguese
man would gradually recover.
Who are you?
Shhh.
But he hadn't expected
that Diego Alvarez
would change the very
purpose and pace of his life.
Voc? 'o presente de dues'
I am a Bengali. Indian.
Don't understand your language.-
-I say,
you are a gift from God.-
-Why?
I know.
Umm..anjo...
an angel from Bengal.
Do you know Bengal?
(Bengali) May God bless you.
What!
Have you heard of Chinsura?
Yes, why wont I.
Chuchura.
Hooghly district.
That's where
I grew up.-
-Really?
My great grandfather
was a clergyman there
He believed in the church.
Is that so?-
-Yes.
Portuguese men, they
settled there in 1537.
They built an idol of Mother Mary
and the church there.
What are you saying!
Then the great anarchy came and
the Mughals arrested them and
Emperor Shah Jahan
resettled them down by the river.
And then?-
-My family...
went back to Portugal.
To the city of Evora.
I decided to come to Africa.
? procura de ouro
diamantes
Gold and diamonds?
Yes.
I set out for the
'Mountain of the Moon'.
Chander Pahar.
I found a friend
in Rhodesia.
Jim Carter. He had a map.
Carter and I...
we set out...
to explore the Richtersveld.
Do you still have the map?
Yes.
Are you...
mad for diamonds?-
-No!
I want to explore Africa!
I want to see...
the entire world!
I want to explore it.
Like Livingstone!
Our aim was...
by the way...
where did you get this map?
Moviru.
Our aim was...
Orange river.
That was where Carter had
once found a chunk of silver.
Coming to the plains from
Drakensberg, the river flowed
towards the Atlantic crossing
Africa's Kimberley, Upington.
After traveling for four
months by the river
we entered a Zulu village.
Save him!
She's been shuddering
in pain all night.
Why is she crying?
Her daughter's unwell.
She pleads with the doctor
for help - Inyanga.
The doctor gives her a
'White muthi' - traditional.
I carry medicines.
I could be of help.
Who are you?-
-Good morning, chief.
I am Jim Carter, he
is Diego Alvarez, my friend.
Hello.-
-We're globe trotters.
I have the medicine
to this disease.
King Beza is very happy with
you. Your medicine cured her.
King Beza will
see you tomorrow morning.
Thank you very much
for saving life.
Intombi.
Bekhifa, give that to me.
Yes, chief.
Isipho.
Thank you your highness.
This is a gift.
You...
our guest.
Village... you stay back.
Thank you so much.
We both need to go.
Where do you go?
Where did you get this?
Mountain of Moon.
Richtersveld.
We go to the Mountain of Moon.
No one goes to Mountian of Moon!
Ingozi. Very dangerous.
What! What danger?
No one comes back
from Mountain of Moon!
Why is he afraid?
His Highness warns you.
Everyone gets
killed by the Bunyip.
Bunyip?-
-He protects the diamonds.
In spite of the warning...
we set out for the Richtersveld.
We had been maddened by
our obsession for diamonds.
None of them agreed
to come along.
What about Bunyip?
Bom deus
ele 'o inferno'
Bunyip. The one
who protects the diamonds.
And then?
A morte veio
aproximando-se
We faced the inevitable death.
Patience Diego. Patience.
But we have no food.
We have no bullets!
We have not a bit of
energy left in our body.
We stand so close to success.
We could make a fortune!
Can we Jimmy? Could we?
The Zulu people, they've told us,
they've showed us the diamonds.
They also warned us Jim.
They warned us.
So what do you suggest uh?
A glorious retreat!
For the time being.
We'll come back with resources.
We'll start afresh.
For twenty days now we've
been trying to find a way.
It's like chasing a
wild goose Jim. Yes!
Chasing a dream Diego.
I have dreamt about
this all my life.
Bunyip.
I did not go further.
I...
I buried Carter there and...
I returned to the Zulu village.
The Zulu chief Bekhifa
had gifted this locket
to Carter.
It is for the one...
who loves Africa.
It is for the one...
who lives on the edge.
Can't we explore it again?
Explore what?
The Mountain of Moon.
Shankar was up
thinking that entire night.
He couldn't sleep.
The next morning he ran to
the Uganda Railways office
with his resignation.
Richtersveld?
I won't stop you Shankar.
Security...
security is a superstition.
Whether the path be
known or unknown
in reality,
through your failures
you're discovering your
own self, Shankar.
In African they say,
'Kuona Tena'
See you again.
Thank you Prasad.
Kuona Tena.
They say we are civilized...
because we have guns.
But the jungle is uncivilized.
Even if...
you carry fire arms...
The dance of primitive man around fire.
It's a prey...
-predator relationship.
The ancient trees on
their eternal vigil.
Africa...
is calling us Shankar!
Can you hear the call?
Yes.
Mountain of the Moon.
The Mountain of the
Moon is calling out to us.
Are you ready?
Let's go!
From Kisumu they crossed the
Victoria lake to reach Nayanza.
Their journey began.
Then they reached Tabaro
from the port of Meyanza.
Nights came and passed by.
They lost count of the days.
They keep proceeding
through the spine of Africa.
The journey seemed eternal.
Mount Kilimanjaro, now
German East African territory.
That peak over there...
smoke coming out of
it... that is dormant volcano.
Peak Kibo.
It can erupt any moment.
Kilimanjaro has two other volcanoes.
Shira and Mawenzi.
They're both dead.
Come.
Let's get going.
Lake Tanganyka.
Second largest in the world,
I had read it in Geography.
And very very deep as well.
You know what 'fossil water' is?
Water, so deep,
that even oxygen does not reach there.
From this port of Ujiji...
we begin our journey on water.
Tanganyka's lion is man-eater.
But the people of Kabalo...
are far more dangerous.
Gamblers.
Drunkards.
Full of...
rowdy Portuguese and Belgians.
Navigators?
You could say so. This is more like...
how do say it... pirates.
But they have got...
the map of Rhodesia.
I...
bought some food from Albertville.
That should suffice for a few days.
Sailing through river
Lukaga from Tanganyka,
they reached the port
of river Congo, Kabalo.
That's where they
faced the first danger.
Grande!
You from East Indies?
Yes.
You know me?
No.
I'm Albuquerque.
I rule Kabalo!
You...
me...
poker huh?
Sorry. No gambling.
No?
I said I don't gamble.
You don't say no to me.
You understand? Nobody says no to me!
I call you for a duel.
I don't kill men without reason.
But you'll have to kill me.
Duel or poker.
What do you choose? Come on! Tell me!
A parada
fica onde voc -
todo o mundo
A Portuguese?
Yes.
And a crack shot
too. Now leave him alone.
Leave him alone! No duels!
No poker!
We want your help.
And we will pay for it.
Money.
We'll give you money.
Okay?
Okay?
Okay?
Money?
What do you want?
What for?
Richtersveld.
Yes.-
-You crazy?
You mad?
To some extent, of course.
Okay.
But now you eat.
Now eat.
Taste sardines. Tastes good.
Comes from Tanganyika.
Taste it. Tastes good!
Good!-
-Thank you.
Okay?
No duel.
No poker.
Why the Richtersveld?
Passion.
We love Africa.
We love exploring land.
You think I am an idiot?
Now do you really believe we're mad?
You are surely crazy!
You need maps?-
-We do.
Accurate maps.
You've come to the right place.
I'll give you.
You be careful.
Very very careful.
Your route to the Richtersveld.
Sankini. From there we start walking.
We will reach Marius's bungalow.
Who's Marius?
He is an Afrikaans hunter.
Jacobus Marius.
He lives alone by the forest.
Once we cross Marius's bungalow...
we lose all
contact with civilization.
As instructed by
Albuquerque they sailed from Kabalo
through river Congo to reach Sankini.
From Sankini they started to walk.
The goal was to reach
the island of Rhodesia,
located further south in Africa.
The route through the jungle
starts after we cross river Chambezi.
We will be able to see the
Victoria falls on our way.
Sera grande.
Portuguese!
Sounds good.-
-Picked up some words.
Shankar had read about the
Victoria falls many a times.
Now, he finally got to see it
in front of his eyes.
Mosi-oa-Tunya, Its real name.
David Livingstone had named it
Victoria falls.-
-I've read about it.
Which means right now
we're near river Zambezi.
We're about to enter Rhodesia.
We will spend the night here.
In the dark of the night,
the Victoria Falls
creates a 'Moonbow'.
What is that?
Created through the moonlight...
a rainbow of the night.
Mosi-oa-Tunya,
the Smoke...
that Thunders.
Come on.
Now Richtersveld.
And there's Marius' bungalow.
Welcome to Rhodesia, Diego!-
-Long time!
I see you've survived that dusty road.
Riolino Cavalkanti Gatti, know him?
Oh yes, the famous Italian sailor.
Ah! Very good!
Yes, one of his descendants,
now he explored the Richtersveld.
Must be thirty years back.
He was a learned man,
held degrees from the
Universities of London and Piza.
He bacame a...
a globe trotter.
Yes, very much so.
You know...
he became a sailor too.
They were voyaging for
the Dutch Indies Islands.
A voyage...
that was to end in a shipwreck...
off the West African coast lands.
Only seven among the
sailors survived...
and made it to the coast of Africa.
They took refuge in the...
in the villages
inhabited by the Zulu nation.
From the tribal people they learnt
about the diamonds in the Richtersveld.
So all the seven of the
sailors headed by Gatti...
set out for the lower velds.
And finally after confronting...
all natural resistance...
got into the cave.
And supposedly they found the diamonds.
Supposedly.
Oh yes. It's all a Zulu myth.
They say Gatti discovered
the cave! Whoa! The cave...
through which three rivulets flow.
It's holy for the Zulus.
And then?
And then?
Some of the survivors
were killed by the Bunyip.
Gatti had led the expedition...
back to the Chimanimani range...
across the Kalahari.-
-Thank you.
But why did they not
retrace their steps?
Ah!
Lord Buddha,
said, an evil friend is more
to be feared than a wild beast.
I drink to that.
Now Gatti and his
comrades had the diamonds.
The diamonds caused a fight
betweenthe four survivors and three...
of the cursed
sailors killed each other.
And Gatti?
Nobody knows what happened to Gatti.
He never came back.
Have you ever met Gatti?
Oh yes.
Oh... before they set
out for the velds...
I gifted him...
the holy cross. One
similar to this one.
But you know the Bunyip
could've killed long before...-
The Bunyip doesn't actually kill.
Greed kills humans.
Humans are the killers.
Humans are the sinners.
Not the beasts.
Shankar had seen the dense
junglefrom Jacobus Marius's bunglow.
Following that jungle
trail began the long journey.
By foot.
After walking through the
jungles for about two months,
Shankar and Alvarez reached
the grasslands of the hills.
That's where they
set up their tents.
What a sight!
Shankar!
Wake up!
Good morning.
Put these over your eyes.
Cover your eyes, Shankar.
What is going on?
Open your eyes.
Africa has a pleasant surprise for you.
It is still forty miles away.
The Mountain of the Moon.
'Chader Pahar'!
Goodbye civilization.
Adios civilization.
What are you thinking?-
- I'm thinking...
even a few days ago I was a
jobless youngster in Keutiya.
Came to Mombasa
looking for a job.
Station master of Nakuru.
You know I've
seen death up close.
I've understood one thing,
It's not important how
long you live before death,
how long you live after death,
That matters.
It is not the length
of my life that matters,
It's the depth of my life.
You think we'll
ever find diamonds?
God knows.
I've not found any as yet.
But I could not surrender.
Only running after...
Diamonds.
Not running after diamonds only...
running after the passion
to find something huge.
Something huge!
Come on.
We set out early
at dawn tomorrow.
Who are you?- -Don't shoot!
We're not hunting.-
- Call the others!
Come here.
But what are you doing here?
Have some food.
They're saying thank
you.- -Coffee for you.
I know Bekhifa, the chief.
You know Bekhifa? Hail Bekhifa!
Our chief!
Its very nice to meet you too.
We're going to Richtersveld.
Don't go there!
Would you like to come with us?
The Mountain of the Moon.
Very dangerous.
The Bunyip will kill you.
They were from
the Matabele tribe.
Though the Matabele's
warned them, they went ahead.
Hey Diego...
can we stop over
here for sometime?
Why? Are you tired?
Need to drink some water.
Let's start after that?
Water looks clear.
No, maybe for tea
or maybe some coffee.
Why?
I've tasted this water, it's
acidic, no good for the health.
You Europeans should
drink some fresh water...
Instead of coffee and beer.
You'll feel good. Let's go.
Yes.
The jungle trail
ends in the river bed.
That spring. We've to reach
there and then we start climbing.
This is our steps
of stairs to freedom!
Hence, they started
climbing the mountains.
It seemed Alvarez was
an adept mountaineer.
All the experience Shankar
had was climbing trees.
Shankar!
Hold on!
Walking another 2 days they
reached a height of 7500 feet.
The surroundings had gone quiet.
Like a natural conspiracy.
The food is over Shankar.
Now what?
Not a bird in sight to kill.
Then?
We have two choices.
Either we eat less and carry on
Or we head back to Rhodesia.
Yield to fate. Simple.
I anyway eat less and
You have coffee.
That's the spirit.
I spotted two
springbok deer there.
They're notoriously difficult.
I'll go.
78. Be careful, don't lose
your way.- -Don't worry.
The Portuguese man
saved Shankar's life.
Initially Diego thought
Shankar had fainted because
Of Maleria...
Or snake bite.
But his experience of
the jungle guided him.
How long have I been
sleeping?- -Almost sixteen hours.
The Iboga tree has
an attractive fragrance.
I remember.
Fragrance of a sweet flower.
If you breathe in the aroma
you're bound to fall asleep. Most
of the people die of muscle paralysis.
I am...
Thank you.- -For what?
For saving my life.
Here, coffee.
You know Shankar,
I owe you my life.
You brought me back
to the expedition.
Now this is one of the
most ancient forests...
in the world.- -Home
for Jurassic reptiles?
Possible.
But even at this height
we didn't find the saddle.
Now this...
is our way to the core regions
Of the Richtersveld.
What does the map say?
Your Sir Filippo de Filppi?
No, he is only confusing us.
He only climbed the Ferdinando
Po peak in Portuguese West Africa.
He never went to Richtersveld.
Then?
No! Don't move!
We must not pull the fire.
We must not go outside.
You must keep your rifle loaded.
May God
Be with us.
The next morning Shankar
found the foot marks
of the creature
that had visited them.
They reminded him of
Zulu chief, Bekhifa's warning
And Jim Carter's death.
They had set foot on a territory which
the Bunyip had been silently ruling.
The Richtersveld
is 8000 sq.miles.
That is why I marked
a tree over there.
Or else you get lost.
Let's go my friend.
00:16:38:6 The rain and thunder led
Shankar to ask himself for the first time,
why Africa?
Let's go back home.
But there was no point saying that
to the group leader Diego, at the trek.
So he kept walking.
Shankar, wake up!
Shankar!
It is the Bunyip again.
The Bunyip? -Yes. Don't!
He's outside the tent.
Let's chase him.- -No.
We'll finish him off.- -No!
Not now!
I'll make some
coffee for the night.
And you?
I can't sleep.
Insomnia.
Diego.
Drum beats.
Can you hear that?
Those are apes...
Beating their chests.
Gorillas?
Give me your hand.
Grande!
What is it?
=I think we've finally found
the saddle. We've spotted it.
The diamond mine
is not so far Shankar.
Let's go.
Careful.
1Have we finally found the river?
What do you think?
We've to check.
Look for yellow stones.
If this river passes through
the cave we're looking for
there must some
trace of a diamond.
This river carries yellow silt!
But there's no stone.-
- That yellow silt...
is nothing but gold my son.
Gold!
This river must have flown
down touching a gold mine.
Yes!
Which means if we look inside
this sand, our fortunes may change?
No Shankar, spend all day but
you won't gather more
than 3 ounces of gold here.
Africa is full of such rivers.
I think...
we should go back to Salisbury.
Come.
Let's go back.
What for?
We're out of our resources.
And we need a new map.
We draw the new map son.
That's the rule of expedition.
As you say.
Is this an earthquake?
It is a seismic zone.
Prone to...
Earthquakes.
Come, let's go back to the tent.
Another earthquake?
No, I smell sulphur.-
- You mean to say...
.. we're standing on
a highly seismic zone!
I think it's worse than that,
Remember I asked you not to
drink the water of that lake?
Yes... but...
It's sour.
It's sour. It's acidic.
What do you mean?-
- All I know is, Shankar,
A mountain with innumerable cracks,
A hot spring flowing through it,
Which tastes acidic.
Have you ever read about Vesuvius?
Have you?
Yes, I have.
Move!
What's happening?-
- Watch out Diego!
Shankar, take him!
Oh God!
Come on Shankar!
It's a volcano.
Can't believe this!
It's pyroclastic ash.
It follows any
volcanic eruption.
But you know...
Nobody mentioned
an active volcano here,
in the Richtersveld.
And we discovered it.
- Yes, we did.
Maybe it has been dormant.
Who knows.
The Zulu's believed...
This mountain
Belongs to the guard of fire.
God of fire.
Hurt your knee?
It's nothing.
What we proposed
Nature disposed.
Here's where our journey ends.
Says who?
Your god of fire.
He volcano has
changed out destiny.
The diamonds quest...
Ends here.
Cheer up Shankar.
This mountain might have
opened the gates of heaven for us.
That night's volcanic eruption had
taken away their little shelters too.
But still that natural calamity
could not daunt the brave Alvarez.
Trekking uphill and downhill through
Richtersveld they kept progressing
In search of the unknown
caves and the river.
Looking for something?- -No.
There was one thing
Alvarez hadn't told Shankar.
Before they reached the river,
after 3 months they had come back
to the same tree Alvarez
had marked with his initials.
In the jungle it's
called a Death Circle.
We've to stop here
for tonight, Shankar.
Get some fire wood
and start the fire up.
Diego...
What are you thinking?
Looking worried.
Wondering...
contemplating the future.
Are you afraid?
The star-chart says
we've not yet been able to
break out of the Death Circle.
And that's unfortunate.
The evening is falling.
Let me light up the fire.
Look Shankar, it's a
canopy full of stars.
They will guide us.
The Sirius
The Canopus. The
Alpha centauri.
The Milky Way!
Will you teach me
how to use the sextant?
Sure. You need to learn.
I learnt the use of compass
From my dad.
Keep him alive.
It is better to travel well
Than to arrive.
Take rest.
I'll get onto that hillock.
Yes.
Wish me luck.
Boa sorte.
Boa sorte?
Eureka!
I got it my son.
I've spotted the location.
The diamond cave!
We're closer than we think.
Bunyip!
Oh my God!
Hey!
Diego! Damn it Diego fire!
Diego!
Diego!
Diego!
Adios...
Goodbye my friend.
Diego... you'll be okay!
After losing Alvarez Shankar had
stopped looking for the treasure.
His goal was to
go back to Rhodesia.
He could not learn how to
use a sextant from Alvarez.
The compass wasn't working too.
So getting lost in this
Vast, unknown land was inevitable.
Seeing the Zulu paintings,
Shankar entered the cave of death.
This was probably the
cave Marius and the Zulu chief
Had mentioned.
So dark!
Dark!
I can hear water!
I hear water!
Water!
Water!
I can hear it!
I want water!
I want water.
00:18:3:00 I'm hungry.
Sunlight!
The sound is
coming from this side.
I can hear water.
Water!
Shankar was trapped.
Though he did find water
after a lot of foraging,
there was not one animal in that
cave that could be hunted and eaten.
Water!
Hence he desperately
tried to look for a way out.
In the lap of the dark death,
it is easy to get delusioned,
by a little ray of hope.
Shankar never figured out how many
days he had been trapped in the cave.
Gradually Shankar was losing the
physical and mental power to go on.
I can't lose.
I can't lose.
I can't lose.
Here it is.
Here's the way.
But in this while,
Shankar had learned a lot.
So he recalled Alvarez's
instruction at the right time.
It is important to leave
roadmarkers on the way
if there is a chance of losing
way. Alvarez had told him so.
So he picked up some stones
and pebbles from the cave
to use them as road markers.
I've to get to the bank.
I'll go from that side.
Alvarez's death was
haunting Shankar.
So the ancient animal of Zulu
myths, Bunyip had to pay for it.
When he reached the
jungle from the cave
Shankar came across the
signs of the Bunyip's presence.
After slaying the demon he
began his journey toward Rhodesia.
But not through the jungle anymore.
He put the memento he picked
up from the cave into his pocket
and set out on
another unknown route.
Seeing the grasslands at
lower velds he understood,
that the jungle is over.
Now, Kalahari.
Can't do this anymore.
Water!
Maybe Shankar had
inherited Alvarev's courage.
But had not learned
the use of a sextant.
He wasn't capable of finding out the
true north from the magnetic north
from the compass.
So, losing his way and goal
in the land of eternal desert
was inevitable.
How much more?
I want water.
No water. Food was over.
He realized he had lost his way. He was
walking 30 miles north from the map.
The temperature at Kalahari
was about 55 degrees.
It's chilling!
How much more?
Water!
Water!
Water!
He had lost it in him to get
into another cave again.
But the lions of the desert and
the chilling wind of
the night were scarier.
So he risked it and
went into the cave.
From Marius' holy cross
Shankar recognized Gatti,
who got lost 30 years ago.
"I am a sailor,
I am Attillio Gatti.
I discovered the diamond
cave at the Richtersveld mountains.
But my companions betrayed me
so I took refuge in this cave.
My death is inevitable.
If anyone finds my body,
kindly bury it.
I am leaving five diamonds
in my boot for that person."
But Shankar too had
found the treasure
in the cursed cave
of Richtersveld.
The structure of the pebbles he
had picked up made that clear.
Actually, Shankar had never
seen a raw diamond in his life.
Which is why greed spared him even
when he was trapped in that cave.
There are two ways
you can reach Rhodesia
crossing the
Chimanimani mountain.
That's what Alvarez told him.
Either he'd have to walk around
25miles at the foothills
or he'd have to walk
uphill and downhill.
Shankar made the mistake of
climbing up the mountain.
Inspite of being so close to
civilization he failed to touch it.
When the aeroplane flew
towards the Krugar mountain
the last proof of life,
disappeared.
Water was over.
Only two bullets in hand.
How long does the dew
drop sparkle on a grass?
Truth is, the sky is a mirror
and it mirrors nothing
but the truth
Come.
Baba?
Come, Shankar, come see!
The Goddess of Moon...
Olapa.
You know who Morans are?
Fighters!
Their life is to fight!
Come. Come here!
The primitive man's
dance around fire!
'Eunoto'!
It's just the beginning today!
Africa!
That's a foreign land.
You're not scared
of going to Africa?
The Bunyip doesn't actually kill.
Greed kills humans.
Humans are the sinners.
Not the beast.
There's an explorer
inside you, Shankar.
Keep him alive.
Go to sleep son.
Go, sleep.
It's pretty late.
Food.
Food.
Food.
Food.
Jim Carter.
Diego Alvarez.
Richtersveld.
Why?
Because...
security...
is a...
superstition.
Jim Carter failed.
Diego Alvarez...
no, he failed too.
Attilio Gatti...
has died too.
You too shall die son of Bengal.
You too shall die.
But...
as the brave?
Or as the coward?
Who decides?
Shankar's foot hurt too much
for him to walk.
Shankar's story could've ended
at Chimanimani mountain.
His only remaining asset,
only one bullet.
But the danger was countless.
So he spent quite some
time, deciding.
Death was approaching
him, slowly.
Shankar thought the other two
firings were an illusion.
But then he thought
what if that sound
was proof of human existence!
In this land of lifelessness,
who's existence was
being declared here?
Get the stretcher.
Come! Quick!
Hold him!
He's got a fever.
Bacteremia. We need to get him
to Salisbury, urgently.
The conservators of Krugar
park had saved Shankar.
They had left for Cape Town from
Kimberley on that caterpillar vehicle.
They rescued Shankar.
From the hospital he went to
the office of Salisbury chronicles.
He narrated to
them, the experience.
They printed his story
along with a photograph.
Their only discovery
in the expedition,
the volcano, was
mentioned in the write-up.
Shankar named the volcanic
peak as Mount Alvarez.
But he did not mention
about the diamonds.
He went to shop of the Memon's and
sold four of those six diamonds.
He earned quite some amount.
He put aside two of the
biggest diamonds for his mother.
His mother had struggled
all her life.
He is sending the
diamonds with this letter.
One of them is to be sold so his
father could have the money.
It'll be of help in difficult times for
villagers and neighbours.
And Shankar has bought a steamer
boat from the rest of the diamonds.
For now, he is sailing to
the port of Beira.
Welcome aboard sir, sunny day!
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Set sail Captain.
Destination, sir?
Mountain of the Moon.
What are we waiting for!