Sandip Ray at the launch of Zindagi Ek Safar. Picture by Aranya Sen

The first thing that Sandip Ray wanted to do after finishing a documentary on his “idol”, the making of which dragged on for years, was to “take a dip in the Ganges”. Zindagi Ek Safar, which was commercially launched in the DVD format at MusicWorld last week, captures the legendary Kishore Kumar’s life and times, as seen by Sandip.

“Zindagi Ek Safar is indeed a labour of love. I have always wanted to make a documentary on my idol, Kishore Kumar. He was a terrific personality, very versatile. He was a singer, composer and an actor. Several unknown facts about him have been revealed in the documentary,” said Sandip.

The docu film was first released in the VHS format in 1989. Sandip had shot the film in 1988, a year after Kishore’s death.

“A lot has changed in the past two decades. Eighty per cent of those associated with the project are no more.... I went to Mumbai at least three-four times to add more interviews. I have added interviews with Shah Rukh Khan, Rajesh Roshan and Shaan. We’ve also added some rare songs which I am sure nobody has heard before. The documentary has archival value,” he added.

Zindagi Ek Safar is two hours 22 minutes long, the “longest of all films that I have made so far!” said Sandip.

The DVD is priced at Rs 140; the VCD comes for Rs 40.