''Caminho das Índias'' ( lit: ''Path to the Indies''; English title: ''India: A Love Story'') is a Brazilian

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...

produced by

TV Globo TV Globo (, "Globe TV", or simply Globo), formerly known as Rede Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air Television broadcasting, television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Gr ...

. It ran from 19 January to 11 September 2009. ''Caminho das Índias'' is a story of contrasts which examines the differences in beliefs and values of the

Eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

and Western world. The telenovela stars

Juliana Paes Juliana Couto Paes (born 26 March 1979) is a Brazilian actress and former model. She became nationally known in telenovelas and modelling. She also starred a local version of the musical ''The Producers'', as Ulla. Career An actress, model ...

Rodrigo Lombardi Rodrigo Lombardi (born 15 October 1976) is a Brazilian actor and voice actor.* He is known for his roles in various Brazilian telenovelas such as ''Caminho das Índias'' (2009), '' Passione'' (2010), ''Salve Jorge ''Salve Jorge'' ( Literally: ...

Letícia Sabatella Letícia Sabatella (born 8 March 1971)SABATELLA, Letícia. Publicado no site memóriaglobo.com. Página visitada em 22 de fevereiro de 2016. is a Brazilian actress and singer. Biography Born in Belo Horizonte, Letícia Sabatella was two years ...

, Tânia Khallil,

Débora Bloch Débora Bloch (born 29 May 1963) is a Brazilian actress. She is known nationally for participating in telenovelas such as ''Caminho das Índias'', ''Cordel Encantado'', and '' Avenida Brasil''. Biography Bloch was born in Belo Horizonte, Mina ...

Alexandre Borges Alexandre Borges Corrêa (born 23 February 1966) is a Brazilian actor. He is known for his work in Brazilian telenovelas. Personal life While filming Guerra Sem Fim (1993), Borges began a relationship with actress Júlia Lemmertz. He was marr ...

and

Bruno Gagliasso Bruno Gagliasso Marques (born 13 April 1982) is a Brazilian actor. Career He began his career as a child, appearing in Rede Globo soap operas. In 1999, he participated in the episode "Papai é Gay!" on the program ''Você Decide''. The follo ...

Overview

The title can be interpreted in two ways: it is Portuguese for " Route to the Indies" (literally) or "India's Way" (figuratively). 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 Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, Brazil, to

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern ...

, India, with some scenes in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...

. 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 Vaishya (Sanskrit: वैश्य, ''vaiśya'') is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order in India. Vaishyas are classed third in the order of caste hierarchy. The occupation of Vaishyas consists mainly of agriculture, taking care ...

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 Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were seen as forming ...

(untouchable) servants who were burned at the stake for accidentally touching their master's shadow. 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 India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

to write the telenovela's first scenes, which began filming on 1 October 2008 in the cities of

Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known a ...

and

Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra ...

. In addition to 40 people from the Brazilian team, the telenovela had partnered with a local producer. The modern architecture of

, in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...

, 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 Projac in

, 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

. Using the cities of

Jodhpur Jodhpur (; ) is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan and officially the second metropolitan city of the state. It was formerly the seat of the princely state of Jodhpur State. Jodhpur was historically the capital of the ...

and

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

as references, the art director built 42 shops and a temple of

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...

, 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 The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

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 A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO * bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO * gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std ...

were recreated, although with a bit of poetic license, thus bringing some clothing usually used in rituals for the everyday wearing.

Cast

;Invited Actresses

Soundtrack

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

Cover:

# Beedi Jalaile –

Sukhwinder Singh Sukhwinder Singh (born 18 July 1971) is an internationally acclaimed Indian playback singer who primarily sings Bollywood songs. He is famous internationally for singing " Jai Ho" from the film '' Slumdog Millionaire'' which won an Academy Awa ...

Sunidhi Chauhan Sunidhi Chauhan (pronounced ; born 14 August 1983) is an Indian playback singer. Born in Delhi, she began performing in local gatherings at the age of 5 and made her career debut at the age of 13, with the film '' Shastra'' (1996). During the ...

(opening theme) # Eu Nasci Há Dez Mil Anos Atrás –

Nando Reis Nando Reis (, born José Fernando Gomes dos Reis; January 12, 1963) is a Brazilian musician and producer, best known as the former bassist and one of the lead singers of Brazilian rock band Titãs and for his successful solo career, with his own ...

(India's location theme) # Pára-Raio – Skank (Murilo's theme) # Uma Prova De Amor – Zeca Pagodinho (Castanho and Suellen's theme) # Vamos Fugir (Gimme Your Love) –

Gilberto Gil Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (; born 26 June 1942), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture in the administration ...

(Tarso and Tônia's theme) # Ela Disse –

Marcelo D2 Marcelo Maldonado Peixoto (born November 5, 1967), also known as Marcelo D2, is a Brazilian rapper and singer. Biography A former vocalist of the band Planet Hemp, he started his solo career in 1998 with the album ''Eu Tiro É Onda.'' The al ...

(Júlia's theme) # Memórias – Pitty (Inês theme) # Martelo Bigorna – Lenine (Yvone's theme) # Nada Por Mim –

Paula Toller Paula Toller (born on August 23, 1962) is a Brazilian singer and songwriter. Toller is most known as the lead singer of Kid Abelha. In 1998, she released her self-titled first solo album, which was very well received. Her second solo album, title ...

(Camila's theme) # Alma –

Zélia Duncan Zélia Duncan (, 28 October 1964), born Zélia Cristina Gonçalves Moreira, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter. Biography Duncan was born in Niterói, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. She moved with her family to Brasília, where she lived for 16 ...

(Melissa and Ramiro's theme) # Sob Medida – Isabella Taviani # Lembra De Mim – Emílio Santiago (Sílvia's theme) # Amor, Meu Grande Amor – Ângela Rô Rô (Chiara and Murilo's theme) # Não Se Esqueça De Mim –

Nana Caymmi Nana Caymmi (b. Dinahir Tostes Caymmi, April 29, 1941) is a Brazilian singer. Caymmi was born in Rio de Janeiro, the daughter of Dorival Caymmi and Stella Maris. Her first appearance on record was on her father's album ''Acalanto''. She married ...

Erasmo Carlos Erasmo Carlos (born Erasmo Esteves; 5 June 1941 – 22 November 2022) was a Brazilian singer and songwriter, most closely associated with his friend and longtime collaborator Roberto Carlos (no relation). Together, they created many chart hits ...

(Maya and Bahuan's theme) # Feliz –

Gonzaguinha Luiz Gonzaga do Nascimento, Jr. (September 22, 1945 – April 29, 1991), better known as Gonzaguinha (), in Portuguese Little Gonzaga, was a noted Brazilian singer and composer. He was born in Rio de Janeiro and he was the son of Luiz Gonzaga ('G ...

(Raj and Duda's theme) # O Vento Vai Responder (Blowin' in the Wind) –

Zé Ramalho Zé Ramalho (born José Ramalho Neto on October 3, 1949 – Brejo do Cruz, Paraíba, Brazil) is a Brazilian composer and performer. Zé Ramalho has collaborated with various major Brazilian musicians, including Vanusa, Geraldo Azevedo and Al ...

(Dayse's theme) # Dois pra lá, dois pra cá –

Elis Regina Elis Regina Carvalho Costa (March 17, 1945 – January 19, 2002), known professionally as Elis Regina (), was a Brazilian singer of MPB and jazz music. She is also the mother of the singers Maria Rita and Pedro Mariano. She became national ...

(Rio de Janeiro's location theme) # Até Quem Sabe –

Nara Leão Nara Lofego Leão (; January 19, 1942 – June 7, 1989) was a Brazilian bossa nova and MPB (popular Brazilian music) singer and occasional actress. Her husband was Carlos Diegues, director and writer of '' Bye Bye Brasil''. Life Leão was bor ...

(Raul's theme) # Sufoco da Vida – Harmonia Enlouquece # Você Não Vale Nada – Calcinha Preta (Norminha's theme)

Caminho das Índias vol. 2, ''Indian''

# Beedi Jalaile –

Nachiketa Chakraborty Nachiketa Chakraborty, simply known as Nachiketa, is an Indian singer, songwriter, musician, composer and playback singer who is known for his modern Bengali lyrics. He achieved fame in the early 1990s, with the release of his debut album ''Ei Be ...

and

Clinton Cerejo Clinton Cerejo is an Indian singer, music composer and musician. Life Clinton Cerejo was born into an academically inclined family with no known musical background. His father was an engineer at L&T and mother is a French professor. His elde ...

(opening theme) #

Kajra Re Kajra Re () is a song composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, written by Gulzar and sung by the playback singers Alisha Chinoy, Shankar Mahadevan and Javed Ali. It is from the 2005 film ''Bunty Aur Babli'', starring Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji ...

–

Alisha Chinai Alisha Chinai (born 18 March 1965) is an Indian pop singer known for her Indi-pop albums as well as playback singing in Hindi cinema. She began her singing career with the album ''Jadoo'' in 1985, and by the 1990s she had become known as the 'Q ...

Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan (born 3 March 1967) is an Indian singer and composer who is part of the Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy trio that writes music for Indian films. Personal life and early career Shankar Mahadevan was born in Chembur, Mumbai into a Tam ...

and

Javed Ali Javed Ali is an Indian playback singer who predominantly sings in Hindi. He has also sung in various Indian languages including Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Odia, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Early life Javed Ali was born Javed H ...

# Nagada Nagada –

Sonu Nigam Sonu Nigam (born 30 July 1973) is an Indian singer, music director and actor. He has been described in the media as one of the most popular and successful playback singers of Hindi Cinema and Kannada Cinema. He has been honoured by the Governme ...

and

# Sajna Ve Sajna –

# Main Vari Vari –

Kavita Krishnamurti Sharada Krishnamurthy, popularly known as Kavita Krishnamurthy or Kavita Subramaniam, is an Indian playback and classical singer. She has recorded 50,000 songs in 45 various Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Rajasthani, Bhoj ...

and Reena Bharadwaj (theme of Maya and Bahuan) # Mast Kalandar –

# Chori Chori Gori Se – Abhijeet and

Udit Narayan Udit is an Indian masculine given name that may refer to: * Udit Narayan, Bollywood playback singer *Udit Narayan (politician) (born 1960), Fijian politician of Indian descent *Udit Narayan Singh (1770–1835), Indian monarch *Udit Patel (born 198 ...

# Salaam-E-Ishq –

and

Shreya Ghoshal Shreya Ghoshal (born 12 March 1984) is an Indian singer and television personality. One of the highest-paid and most well-established playback singers of Indian cinema, she has received four National Film Awards, four Kerala State Film Awards ...

# Salaam –

Alka Yagnik Alka, AlkA or ALKA may refer to: People * Alka Ajith (born c. 1997), Indian multilingual playback singer * Alka Amin (active from 2011), Indian television actress * Alka Balram Kshatriya, Indian politician, Member of the Parliament of India repr ...

# Azeem o Shaan Shahensh – Mohamed Aslam # Bangra Jaya – Alexandre de Faria

Caminho das Índias vol. 3, ''Lapa''

Cover:

Juliana Alves Juliana Alves de Oliveira (born May 3, 1982) is a Brazilian actress and model, known to participate in the reality show '' Big Brother Brasil 3'' in 2003. Juliana won a spot in the program almost by accident: during a concert singer Luiz Melodia, ...

# Eu vou pra Lapa – Alcione # Malandro é malandro, mané é mané –

Diogo Nogueira Diogo Nogueira (born Rio de Janeiro, 1981) is a singer and songwriter from Brazil. He is the son of composer João Nogueira and Ângela Maria Nogueira. He was a samba musician throughout childhood and adolescence, but became a football player. ...

(theme of César and Ilana) # Só faltou você Lado a Lado B – Leandro Sapucahy # Vaso Ruim – Casuarina (theme of Radesh) # Tristeza Pé no Chão – Teresa Cristina & Grupo Semente # Amor de verdade –

Beth Carvalho Elizabeth Santos Leal de Carvalho (May 5, 1946 – April 30, 2019), known professionally as Beth Carvalho, was a Brazilian samba singer, guitarist, cavaquinist and composer. Biography Carvalho was raised in a middle-class family in Rio de ...

# Errei – Sururu na Roda (live) # Pretinha Jóia Rara – Moyseis Marques # Em Desfile Chatos – Jota Canalha # Sal e Pimenta –

Gabriel o Pensador Gabriel Contino, better known as Gabriel o Pensador (Portuguese for "Gabriel the Thinker") is a Brazilian rapper, writer, and composer known for his conscious lyrics which speak of activism, and issues of race, politics, social problems, and the C ...

# Puro êxtase –

Barão Vermelho Barão Vermelho () is a Brazilian rock band. Formed in 1981 in Rio de Janeiro, it was originally led by songwriting duo Cazuza (singer) and Roberto Frejat (guitarist), who assumed the vocals after Cazuza's departure in 1985. Frejat left the ba ...

# Anjo da madrugada –

Babi Xavier Babi Xavier (born Anna Bárbara Xavier; 6 July 1974, in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian television actress, Playboy model, singer and TV hostess. Television *''Perdidos de Amor'' (Rede Bandeirantes, Band, 1996) – Ivea, actress *''Por A ...

(theme of Duda and Lucas) # Lourinha Bombril (Parate y mira) – Bangalafumenga # Legal, Vou ficar – Quatro Fatos # Põe aê uma música – DJ Alex Guedes # Uma flor uma raiz – Fino # Coletivo Mezcla – Riosalsa (theme of Suellen and Ademi)

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

# Halo –

Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

(theme of Yvone) # Thinking of You –

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her campy style, she has been referred to ...

(theme of Bahuan and Shivani) # Orishas – Público # Never Gonna Be Alone –

Nickelback Nickelback is a Canadian rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta. It is composed of guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake, bassist Mike Kroeger, and drummer Daniel Adair. It wen ...

(theme of Tônia and Tarso) # Tip of My Tongue – Something Sally feat.

Joss Stone Joscelyn Eve Stoker (born 11 April 1987), known professionally as Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to prominence in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, ''The Soul Sessions'', which made the 2004 Merc ...

(theme of Aída and Darío) # Small Talk – Ovi # To Love you All Over Again –

Madeleine Peyroux Madeleine Peyroux (born April 18, 1974) is an American jazz singer and songwriter who began her career as a teenager on the streets of Paris. She sang vintage jazz and blues songs before finding mainstream success in 2004 when her album ''Carele ...

(theme of Chiara) # Sober –

Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

# Use Somebody –

Kings Of Leon Kings of Leon is an American rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, and their cousin Matthew Followill. The band's early music was a blend of Southern rock and ga ...

# Lies –

McFly McFly are an English pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the '' Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Danny Jones (lead vocals, har ...

(theme of Zeca) # Madly – Tristan Prettyman (theme of Duda and Lucas) # Quando e se –

Ari Hest Ari Hest (born 16 June 1979) is an American singer-songwriter from the Bronx borough of New York. Biography Early life and education Hest's father is a college music professor and his mother a cantor. His older brother, Danny, is Hest's forme ...

(theme of Silvia and Murilo) # Lay Lady Lay – Dan (theme of Dr. Castanho and Suellen) # I'm in the Mood for Love – Daniel Boaventura (theme of Maya and Raj) # All the Way – Ronaldo Canto e Mello (theme of Camila and Ravi) # Smoke Gets in Your Eyes – Oséas (theme of Shankar y Laksm)

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

# Os portais do Taj Mahal – Alexandre de Faria (General theme) # Tema de Maya e Bahuan – Alexandre de Faria (theme of Maya and Bahuan) # Quase um Intocável – Alexandre de Faria (Untouchable's theme) # Caminho das Índias – Alexandre de Faria (theme of general dance) # Nos passos de Shankar – Alexandre de Faria (theme of Shankar) # Meu Salaam – Alexandre de Faria (romantic theme) # Meditação e Karma – Alexandre de Faria (incidental theme) # Re Tchori – Alexandre de Faria (theme of general dance) # Habanera para Tarso – Alexandre de Faria (theme of Tarso) # Maxixe Chorado – Alexandre de Faria (theme of Lapa neighborhood) # Uma Canção sem Palavras – Alexandre de Faria (tema triste) # Tango da Ausência – Alexandre de Faria (theme of Lapa neighborhood) # Berceuse pour un Nuit – Alexandre de Faria (incidental theme) # Toda Levada – Alexandre de Faria

Awards

In November 2009, ''Caminho das Índias'' was recognized as Best Telenovela in the 2009

International Emmy Awards The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based International Academy of Television Arts and ...

. In Brazil, it won four awards for Best Telenovela. The cast won several awards.

won five awards for Best Supporting Actor.

Dira Paes Ecleidira Maria Fonseca Paes (born 30 June 1968), known professionally as Dira Paes, is a Brazilian actress and television presenter. Among the numerous awards and nominations she has received, Paes won the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actr ...

won four awards for Best Supporting Actress.

won two awards for Best Actor.

won one award for Best Actress.

References

External links

*
''Caminho das Índias'' (Official Website) (in Portuguese)

Official international trailer

Telenovela-World Bilingual Forum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caminho das Indias 2009 telenovelas 2009 Brazilian television series debuts 2009 Brazilian television series endings Brazilian telenovelas TV Globo telenovelas Brazil–India relations International Emmy Award for Best Telenovela Portuguese-language telenovelas Telenovelas by Glória Perez Television shows set in Rajasthan Television shows set in Rio de Janeiro (city)