West has traditionally been fascinated by Indian culture, especially that period of Indian heritage when the country was made up of numerous states with their respective rulers. An era left behind, it has numerous tales to tell about the kings and the princes of that time and their liaisons with the people from the west.
Writer, producer, director Nanda Anand takes it upon her to tell a tale from the same era while fusing it with the present times and come up with a unique crossover product - RETURN TO RAJAPUR a.k.a. SEARCHING FOR SARA. Set in Rajasthan, a state that boasts of a rich heritage, 'Return to Rajapur' takes a viewer through everything that one expects from a setting like this - rich look, castles, beautiful landscapes and folk music. A dramatic love story, 'Return To Rajapur' also highlights the power of destiny.
The movie begins with the introduction of a young girl Samantha [Kelli Garner] who visits Rajapur, a desert town in Rajasthan. Her mission? She wants to solve the mystery about a man called Jai Singh [ Manoj Bajpai] who once lived at this place.
After reaching Rajapur, one clue leads to another as she starts to solve the jigsaw puzzle with the help of some photographs, letters and a love stone. She comes quite close to unveil the mystery as she realizes that there were characters like Sara [Lynn Collins] and Jeremy Reardon [Justin Theroux] that played an important part in Jai Singh's life. It turns out that Sara and Jeremy were Jai Singh's guests but the relationship shared between Sara and Jai was much more than a guest and a host.
Jai was in love with Sara and though it was not acceptable by any society, be it East or West, there was nothing that could stop Jai from loving Sara. Even Sara was in a desperate situation where it was a difficult choice for her to make! As their story progressed, everyone from Sara, Jeremy and Jai found themselves in a no-win situation and abandoned in a desert.
Now this was History! Cut to present, Samantha found herself in a similar situation with Amar [Bhanu Uday], a friend made by her in India. This time around the two of them got trapped in a sandstorm and help seemed to be far away. Until.......
To her utter astonishment, she and Amar were saved by none other than Jai Singh himself. And the truth unfolds.....
The movie has been shot in entirety in Jaisalmer, a 9th century town in India and director Nanda made five trips to Jaisalmer before deciding on the location. The first half of the movie was shot in freezing temperatures in the desert town and the second half in sweltering heat while the entire crew was housed at a palace during the shoot.
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