Samsara (2001 film)

Samsara
film poster
Directed by	Pan Nalin
Produced by	Fandango / Ocean Films Distribution / Pandora Film / Paradis Films
Written by	Pan Nalin & Tim Baker
Starring	Shawn Ku & Christy Chung & Neelesha BaVora
Music by	Cyril Morin, Dadon
Release date	2002
Running time	138 minutes
Country	India, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland
Language	Tibetan / Ladakhi

Samsara is a 2001 independent Indian/Italian/French/German film which tells the story of a Buddhist monk's quest to find Enlightenment. The film stars Shawn Ku as the monk Tashi, and Christy Chung as Pema. It was directed by Pan Nalin and written by Pan and Tim Baker.

The film's plot is reminiscent of the story of the sage Vishvamitra and the apsara Menaka.

Samsara was awarded "Audience Award for The Most Popular Film" by the 51st Melbourne International Film Festival, among other awards from other festivals, and made it to top ten films in Italy and France.

Tashi (Shawn Ku) began his training as a Buddhist monk at the age of five. Twenty years later, he emerges from a three-year solitary meditation, for which he is awarded the degree of khenpo by the rinpoche. When Tashi begins to have wet dreams, his relationships at the temple become strained. On an official visit, he stays with a farmer and meets Pema, the farmer's daughter. He leaves monastic life, returning to the farm, where he joins the migrant workers for the harvest. After another encounter with Pema, they marry. They later have a son, Karma (Tenzin Tashi).

The ex-lama becomes a farmer and landowner, becoming financially successful by bringing the harvest to the city instead of selling to the local merchant Dawa (Lhakpa Tsering), who cheats the local farmers. This puts him at odds with Jamayang (Kelsang Tashi), Pema's former fiancee and local stonemason, who resents Tashi for damaging the long-standing relationship between the people of the valley and Dawa.

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