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Osian Film Fest pays tribute to Buddhism
19th July 2006 17.15 IST
By N. K. Deoshi

To mark the 2550th anniversary of the birth of Lord Buddha, the ongoing Osian Festival of Asian Cinema showcases a selection of films on Buddhism in the ‘The Middle Path’ section.

A collection of films from Korea, Japan, Bhutan, India, USA, Vietnam and Europe are being screened in the section at the film festival in New Delhi. The films do not necessarily depict the life of Buddha or recreate his life story, but they do hold out his message through stories set in contemporary times and in the past.

The most talked about movie in this section so far has been Why Did Bodhi Dharma Leave For The East by Korean director Bae Yong-kyun. Written, shot and screenplayed by Yong-kyun himself, the film is visually striking and meditative. It tells the tale of a Zen master and his young disciple who left the life of disillusionment in the city to seek enlightenment under the guidance of the master in remote mountains. The film talks about the way to self-realization through the Zen koans (riddles) that need years of deep introspection to understand. This film was awarded the coveted Golden Leopard and Ecumenical Jury Award in Locarno in1989.

Another film that has drawn many people to the screening auditoriums is Conrad Rook’s Siddhartha. The film, based on Nobel laureate Hermann Hesse’s exceptional book by the same title, tells the story of a young Brahmin, Siddhartha, who leaves his family to live as a hermit in the forest. Siddhartha later comes across lord Buddha, but he does not accept Buddha’s teachings because of the loss of his faith in any doctrine. Siddhartha returns to the world to live a life of sin and indulgence. He then renounces the world and finds enlightenment by a riverside. The film, a USA production made in 1972, stars Shashi Kapoor , Simi Garewal , Romesh Sharma and Pinchoo Kapoor.

Upholding the message of Buddha is the Bhutanese film titled Milarepa, the life story of the famous poet, sorcerer, monk and mystic who lived in Tibet between 1051 to 1135 AD. Milarepa, who was known as Thopaga in his youth, is asked by his mother to learn sorcery to avenge his evil uncle who took away all their wealth. Thopaga learns the art of sorcery and unleashes terror upon his village. But after seeing the death and destruction of many, he realizes that revenge does not pacify the heart. So he abandons his practice of sorcery to follow the Buddha’s path.

Another film that drew a huge applause at the festival was ‘Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring’ from Korean director Kim Ki-duk. This beautifully shot movie is the story of a monk and a child living in the remote mountains. Through practical examples the monk teaches the child many essential lessons of life. Later, when the child grows into a young boy, he runs away to the city after being possessed by his passion for a girl. He comes back a frustrated, angry man who has committed a crime. The film has minimal possible dialogues and yet there is not a frame in it that does not speak. An exceptional movie.

The festival also showcases in this section Bernardo Bertolucci’s ‘Little Buddha’, Korean film ‘Come, Come, Come Upward’, Swiss movie ‘Angry Monk – Reflections on Tibet’, Vietnamese film ‘Gone Gone Forever Gone’, Japanese film ‘The Burmese Harp’ and three films from India – ‘The Last Monk’, ‘The Sandstorm’ and ‘The Light of Asia’.

The festival’s last day, July 23, would have the screening of ‘Siddhartha’ and ‘Come, Come, Come Upward’.

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