Saharsh Khaitan, Neha Kapoor, director Sudeep Rajan Sarkar, Sushil Bhosale, Bappi Lahiri, Parijat Chakraborty and producer Rita Jhawar at the Umformung poster and book launch event at Bora Bora |
Not long ago, criminal psychologist-filmmaker Sudeep
Ranjan Sarkar’s Hindi feature film Umformung – The Transformation made news when monks and sex workers came
together under one roof at Kolkata to watch the film. Now, Mumbai witnessed a
celeb-studded Poster Launch of the film that speaks of equality among all of
God’s creations. Besides Director Sudeep Ranjan Sarkar and Producers
Rita Jhawar and Saharsh Khaitan, music director Sanjib Sarkar, actors
Sushil Bhosale, Neha Kapoor, Parijat Chakraborty, Yogesh Anand of
Reincarnation India, present at the do at Bora Bora Club in Andheri West were
chief guest Bappi Lahiri, and celebs Shaleen Bhanot, Mudasir Ali, Gaurav
Chopra, Aamir Dalvi, K K Goswami, among others.
The story of intense dimensions, two parallel stories juxtaposed
in one world Umformung –
The Transformation is about a
Buddhistmonk in search of the ultimate truth on one hand, and a ruthless
entrepreneur who knows that power is the ultimate truth on the
other.
Languid and unbiased, the film unfolds as Karma unfolds. The
journey of the monk from the idyllic monastery set in the mountains
to prostitutes at a city brothel and his movement into the path of
self-actualisation, alongside the transformation of the builder when life comes
half way to meet her on her path of self-destruction, forms the crux
of Umformung –
The Transformation.
And that is all that Dr. Sudeep Ranjan Sarkar set to achieve
along with social entrepreneurs Rita Jhawar and Saharsh
Khaitan, when he made his maiden film based on Buddhist principles. Umformung – The Transformation, interestingly, the film is the
winner of Best Story – Indian Cine Film Festival, Best Background Score – Noida
International Film Festival, Best Director and Best Background Music –10th Free
Spirit Festival, Merit for Newcomer Director – World Film Award, and Merit for
International Film – World Film Award, Jakarta, Best Background Score – 5th Dadasaheb
Phalke Film Festival, Official Selection – 4th Washington DC
South Asian Film Festival, Maverik Movie Awards, Khajuraho International Film
Festival, Miami Independent Film Festival among others. Umformung – The Transformation is distributed by Yogesh Anand
Reincarnation India.
Unfazed by the accolades and worldwide acclaim, Sarkar is
humble. “Umformung – The Transformation isn’t just a film for me. It is a marriage of poetry,
philosophy of life and a painting of moving images,” confesses the director,
adding that the diverseness of the audiences of the screening was a
simple way to illustrate the open arms of Gautam Buddha and his tenets.
“Guided by Senior Rimpoche from McLeodgunj, Himachal Pradesh
from His Holiness Dalai Lama’s temple, the film looks at Buddhism as a way of
life and how detachment is the ultimate truth. A sex worker in that sense is no
different from any of us in the so called respectable society, and by her
straightforwardness and honest approach to life, is actually an inspiration to
a monk to find Nirvana!”
Now that is one concept we are looking forward to see on
celluloid!
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