Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Of 2025Holiday Watch GuideGotham AwardsCelebrity PhotosSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Siddhartha

  • 1972
  • R
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
Siddhartha (1972)
DramaMystery

The story of a young Indian who embarks upon a journey to find the meaning of existence. Based on the novel by Hermann Hesse.The story of a young Indian who embarks upon a journey to find the meaning of existence. Based on the novel by Hermann Hesse.The story of a young Indian who embarks upon a journey to find the meaning of existence. Based on the novel by Hermann Hesse.

  • Director
    • Conrad Rooks
  • Writers
    • Hermann Hesse
    • Conrad Rooks
    • Natacha Ullman
  • Stars
    • Shashi Kapoor
    • Simi Garewal
    • Romesh Sharma
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    1.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Conrad Rooks
    • Writers
      • Hermann Hesse
      • Conrad Rooks
      • Natacha Ullman
    • Stars
      • Shashi Kapoor
      • Simi Garewal
      • Romesh Sharma
    • 29User reviews
    • 26Critic reviews
    • 80Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos12

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 4
    View Poster

    Top Cast9

    Edit
    Shashi Kapoor
    Shashi Kapoor
    • Siddhartha
    Simi Garewal
    Simi Garewal
    • Kamala
    Romesh Sharma
    Romesh Sharma
    • Govinda
    Pinchoo Kapoor
    Pinchoo Kapoor
    • Kamaswami
    • (as Pincho Kapoor)
    Zul Vellani
    • Vasudeva
    Amrik Singh
    • Father
    Kunal Kapoor
    Kunal Kapoor
    • Son
    Shanti Hiranand
    • Mother
    The Holy Sadhus of Rishikesh
    • Self
    • Director
      • Conrad Rooks
    • Writers
      • Hermann Hesse
      • Conrad Rooks
      • Natacha Ullman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews29

    6.61.3K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    10pinoj18

    An excellent philosophical work

    I saw the movie Siddhartha some time ago because when I first saw the title, I recognized it as a philosophical work from my college days when I study Hesse's work from my philosophy class.

    It is a great film: I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed the book by Hermann Hesse. As a philosophy major, the philosophical underlinings in the movie are most appropriate. It is by all accounts, a true Hesse's commentary on the meaning of life and man's condition on earth.

    I especially liked the music although the lyrics were foreign to me. I wish I could get a translation of the songs that made the film even more enjoyable.

    A great philosophical work of art.
    8bollywoodplusplus

    Once you see this film, you can never unsee it!

    What a movie!! What a hidden gem! Can't thank a friend (VNR) enough for recommending this film. Its the ultimate soul-searching movie. "Stop searching, stop worrying, give love! Live in present. Everything changes, everything returns"! Some deep Indian philosophy in the film, presented by non-Indians primarily! I find that amazing. The music of the film by Hemant Kumar works beautifully. Very simple, melodic, mostly Bengali. Haunting. Gels so well with the river, nature depicted in the film. "O re nadi" is my favorite. The entire film has a feel reminiscent of Satyajit Ray's film making. Brilliant production. Watch this film. It will stay with you for long. Maybe a lifetime.
    9wildzero

    A classic.

    If you loved the book by Hermann Hesse, you will most likely love this film. At times, it seems rather disjointed - almost as though I had blinked and missed a scene. I really consider this film to be a great companion to a great book. I am curious to know what people who had not read the book would think of this film.
    yespat

    Hauntingly Beautiful

    This film is stunning in its beauty. The music is transcendent. For the longest time I tried to get the soundtrack. To save you the trouble, be aware that they never made one! There is one scene in which a woman blows on a shell that was so powerful I still remember 30 years later. Mesmerizing. If you have not seen it yet, rent it today.
    10movinut

    a beautiful and haunting movie

    I saw the movie twice, the first time in Sweden in 1974; I had read Herman Hesse's book before that, and the story had strongly impressed me. The movie was even better then the book! the photography was very poetic, the music (indian flutes, tablas) was very high in the aesthetics band, and the story conformed more or less with the book, but without taking away any of it's impact. there were 12 people in the theatre, and at the end as the credits were scrolling for what seemed at least 20 minutes, no-one moved from their seats as transfixed by what they had just seen. I am sure that all 12 of those people recall to this day the effect that this film created on them. I am not a Buddhist or even very religious, but i personally recommend it as part of a person's education in life....

    More like this

    Steppenwolf
    6.1
    Steppenwolf
    Little Buddha
    6.2
    Little Buddha
    Anupama
    7.5
    Anupama
    U Turn
    6.7
    U Turn
    Zameer
    6.0
    Zameer
    Brüno
    5.9
    Brüno
    The Buddha
    7.6
    The Buddha
    Chappaqua
    6.4
    Chappaqua
    Sri Siddhartha Gautama
    7.4
    Sri Siddhartha Gautama
    Zachariah
    5.8
    Zachariah
    Utsav
    6.9
    Utsav
    Narcissus and Goldmund
    6.4
    Narcissus and Goldmund

    Related interests

    Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, André Holland, Herman Caheej McGloun, Edson Jean, Alex R. Hibbert, and Tanisha Cidel in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Simi Garewal took the boldest step in her career by going topless for a scene in this film. It was the first topless scene in the history of Bollywood and created a massive uproar. When the scene was featured on the cover of two English magazines, it created more controversy and ended up in court. The film eventually got banned in India. When asked about it years later, Garewal, who said she was never shy, revealed that she would have stripped totally naked if they had let her. In fact, she had been totally nude in front of the filming crew for Mera Naam Joker the same year, but they only showed her from the back onscreen. She said she loved the freedom of losing her inhibitions and her clothes.
    • Quotes

      Siddhartha: I have come to say, that you are all the things that will outlive me, that you, Kamala, will be all the beauty that will be in the shadow we leave. You will be my first love, my only love.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Thirtysomething: Melissa and Men (1991)
    • Soundtracks
      Mother's Song
      by Shanti Hiranand

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ14

    • How long is Siddhartha?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 1, 1974 (Sweden)
    • Countries of origin
      • India
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • arabuloku.com
      • Winkler Film
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • На пути к истине
    • Filming locations
      • Holy City of Rishikesh, Uttar Pradesh, India
    • Production company
      • Lotus Films Internacional
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 29m(89 min)
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.