The Unreserved

2017 / 60 minutes / Documentary
Hindi

The Unreserved is an intimate inquiry into the lives of passengers who use the Unreserved Compartment, the cheapest way to travel across India on the Indian Railways system. The film portrays the passengers' aspirations, efforts, and opinions through conversations and personal stories.

AWARDS

"Best On-Location Sounds" at 65th National Film Awards, 2018

CREDITS

Director: Samarth Mahajan

Producers: Ashay Gangwar & Harshit Saran

Production Company: Camera And Shorts

Cinematographer: Omkar Divekar

Edit and Sound Design: Anadi Athaley

Music Courtesy: Leaving Home by Indian Ocean

Digital Intermediate: Shashank Jha

REVIEWS

• “Remarkably personal” (Hindustan Times)

• “A unique portrait of modern India” (The Hindu Business Line)

• “Shows the forgotten India” (Indian Express)

• “Stories of the unseen” (The Asian Age)

• “A journey across the country through the eyes of its weary travellers.” (Scroll)

FESTIVAL HISTORY

• Film Southasia, 2017, Nepal

• EFF BRICS Film Festival, 2017, Russia

• 187th FD Zone at Films Division, 2017, India

• South Asian International Docufest, 2018, USA

• Madurai International Documentary and Short Film Festival, 2018, India

• Delhi Doc Festival, 2018, India

• Mindscape - The Festival of Ideas, 2018, India

• PAME Film and Music Festival, 2020, Nepal

• Documentary Association of Pakistan, 2021, Pakistan

• Screen Southasia, 2025, Online