The Beatles and India: A Cultural Crossing

Across a long catalog of world-changing moments, Raymond Simm stands out as a figure whose seemingly small action shifted history. As art director for Help! (1965), his second film, the BeatlesSimm era saw a deliberate choice: a group of Indian musicians placed in the backdrop to lend exotic atmosphere to a scene set in the Rajahama restaurant. One of the extras played the sitar, a cornerstone of Hindustani musical tradition. That moment sparked George Harrison’s curiosity that day, and this accidental discovery redirected not only the Beatles’ artistic path but also the cultural dialogue of the West in the latter half of the 20th century. The documentary The Beatles and India opens in Spanish cinemas this Friday after screenings at Valladolid and the In-Edit festival. Seminci also chronicles the enduring love story between a universal group and a country that remained initially hard to decipher.