Ready for a romantic adventure through Rajasthan on a "palace on three wheels" - an autorickshaw? Director Bharatbala's new venture Hari Om, which has just won the New Voices Award at the Bangkok film festival, offers that and much more.

A road journey that goes from luxury trains to desolate desert back roads, from magical havelis to rickshaw chases through forts as a cross-cultural romantic voyage unfolds. Hari Om is infact about getting in touch with the true spirit of India and finding beauty and courage under unusual circumstances.

"The film brings about a positive emotion for India and its people. It was the official selection at Toronto film festival, the audience award runner up at the Vancouver festival and nominated for grand prix in main competition at Tokyo," says Bharatbala, who has also produced music videos like Vande Matram and Jana Gana Mana.

"With sold out shows in large venues and additional screenings scheduled by the festivals, it emerged as a favourite with the festival audience," he says.

Hari Om is about the triumph of humanity, the two key protagonist of the film - a modern French woman and a simple illiterate rickshaw driver, inspite of them being from two different worlds, having nothing in common and belonging to different lifestyle, they connect at human level, he says.

On how the plot of the movie evolved, he says "going through the blue walled town (Jodhpur) in an autorickshaw, I was inspired by the happy go lucky rickshawallah, his energy and attitude drove me to create a road movie set in Rajasthan."

Vijay Raaz of Monsoon Wedding plays the flamboyant autorickshaw driver (Hari Om), Jean Marie Lamour plays the true Parisian and Camille Natta plays the role of Isa, the Frenchman's girlfriend.

When a French couple banging through Rajasthan on a luxury train ride get separated in Jaipur, Isa hires Hari Om to help her catch with her careless, somewhat arrogant boyfriend Benoit (Lamour). But she gets caught up in the grandeur of ancient India and begins to ponder what is important in her life. And what is not.

The film evokes the gap between Indian and Western culture and Bharatbala says "it brings about a positive emotion for India and its people. It also reflects the emotion of true Indian cinema."

However, Bharatbala rues that not many movies are being made in India for international audience. "Film for international audience need to be entertaining, based on simple universal human stories. But there are not many films in that genre being made from India."