They say age is just a number. After his 60th birthday in 2016, Gagan Khosla, a Delhi-based chartered accountant, set out to do something most men his age would have considered inane, perhaps even suicidal. Khosla—his laces tied and helmet strapped—paddled down from Leh to Manali. While most would have gladly put their feet up with a handful of Instagram pictures and unlikely check-ins, Khosla went all the way down to the other end of India. And 29 days later, he was in Kanyakumari.
It’s been two years and here’s another addition to the list of his accomplishments. His journey has been turned into a film titled, Hai Junoon. Produced by the EPIC Channel, the 45-minute film tracks Khosla’s adventure from the vast mountains of Leh to the fast-track highways of mainland India.
Khosla believes it would have never been possible without the support of his family and friends. “My old friends were with me throughout the journey, relaying at one checkpoint after the other,” he says. But the film wasn’t part of the plan. “I had hired a cameraman to shoot the journey, but we didn’t have a proper film in mind back then. I wanted someone to record the journey,” he adds.
The cameraman captured 70 hours of the ride. Considering he cycled for almost a month, it is only a slice of the whole thing. “Capturing every step was impossible and impractical. And I also wanted the focus to be on the cycling bit. So we shot at key checkpoints, and recorded moments we thought were important. Even I have not seen the complete footage,” Khosla says.
Promoting healthy living has always been on his mind. The bicycle journey was a part of that dream, and the film came as an extension to that. He says he is not a filmmaker, and he did not know what to do with the raw footage. “So, we took it to the EPIC Channel, and they showed interest. But any film needs a story, which is why they assigned a team that went through the footage, came up with a narrative and turned it into a story through our interviews,” he adds.
The channel interviewed Khosla, his wife, and friends, who were integral to the journey. “Not all the footage we had shot was useful. But the interviews added an element of intimacy and emotional fabric to the story. They took four-five months to complete the film, and the results amazed me,” Khosla adds.
They have divided the film into key phases, from the unforgiving slopes of Ladakh to Khosla’s reunion with his school in Gwalior, each an emotive checkpoint.
Cycling is a test in endurance even on the best of days in India, given its toxic air and unforgiving humidity. For someone at 60 to rifle through the barriers of age and self-doubt, let alone physical will, Khosla’s ride is an inspiration for all—young and old.