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Thread: Bodhidharma - the film

  1. #1
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    Bodhidharma - the film

    This may need to be split off into its own independent thread someday.
    Chennai, May 31, 2014
    Updated: May 31, 2014 17:04 IST
    Shooting inside a Shaolin temple
    Nikhil Raghavan


    Director Haricharan.


    Director S. Haricharan is in China to film the life of Bodhidharma, said to be a Tamil prince

    “Is the blue-eyed barbarian, as he is referred to in Chinese texts, a myth or real?” asks film director S. Haricharan (Thoovaanam), who is in China on invitation to shoot a film on the life of Bodhidharma, the 28th Patriarch of Buddhism. “I consider this a rare privilege and an even greater honour that I have been given access to shoot inside the Shaolin temple at Mount Song in the Henan Province of China. It is probably the first time that a film director from Tamil Nadu will have access to shoot inside the Shaolin temple. It is even more gratifying that I will be shooting a film on the life of the great Bodhidharma who, according to many available records, was a Pallava prince born in Kanchipuram!” says Haricharan.

    Prior to his visit to China, Haricharan went on a recce to Vaiyalur (Kanchipuram) to check out a culvert inscription available with A.S.I Chennai (provided by Dr. Maheshwari) that one Bodhivarman (a Pallava prince) did exist around the same period that Bodhidharma surfaced in China. “Did Bodhivarman, on embracing Buddhism and fearing persecution, flee from Kanchi via the Palar river to Mammalapuram and then board a ship to China? Did his father, the king, aid him in his efforts to leave Kanchi in search of a forefather who was already in China spreading Buddhism? There are many such unanswered questions. With hope in my heart and filled with pride and enthusiasm, I am on the way to China in an effort to try and unravel the mystery surrounding Bodhidharma,” says an excited Haricharan.

    The director is accompanied by cinematographer Sharon and will be assisted by a Chinese crew while shooting at the Shaolin temple.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  2. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    This may need to be split off into its own independent thread someday.
    ---------------------------------------

    About time!! I hope that he does a good job.

  3. #3
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    Alright then, I'll split it off now

    This was originally on the Bodhidharma thread, but now, it's on it's own.

    Indian director plans movie on Buddhist Patriarch Bodhidharma
    By Sravanth Verma
    Jun 7, 2014 in Entertainment

    Movie director S. Haricharan has been invited to China to make a film on the life of Bodhidharma, the 28th Patriarch of Buddhism.
    Haricharan, a director from the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, has been granted access to shoot within the precincts of a Shaolin temple. According to legend, it was Bodhidharma who introduced Kung Fu to the monks of Shaolin. Today, the Shaolin monastery is among the most famous in the world, the Kung Fu skills of its monks portrayed in various documentaries and films. The director will be accompanied by cinematographer Sharon and will receive assistance from a Chinese crew during the temple shoot.
    “Is the blue-eyed barbarian, as he is referred to in Chinese texts, a myth or real?” Haricharan asks. “I consider this a rare privilege and an even greater honour that I have been given access to shoot inside the Shaolin temple at Mount Song in the Henan Province of China. It is probably the first time that a film director from Tamil Nadu will have access to shoot inside the Shaolin temple."
    Read more...
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    Bodhidharma's "India connection" arises from legends that say Bodhidharma was a prince of the Pallava kingdom in South India, born in the town of Kanchipuram in the 5th or 6th century AD. Bodhidharma became a Buddhist monk and traveled to China, taking with him the technique of Dhyana or meditation. Dhyana became Chan in China, and Zen in Japan. Bodhidharma thus became the first Patriarch of Chinese Buddhism and the 28th Patriarch of Buddhism as a whole. A Patriarch was a teacher who lineage extended unbroken to Gautama the Buddha.
    Haricharan has already visited an archaeological site near Kanchipuram to check an inscription available with the Archaeological Survey of India which states that a Pallava prince named Bodhivarman existed around the same time that Bodhidharma surfaced in China. “Did Bodhivarman, on embracing Buddhism and fearing persecution, flee from Kanchi via the Palar river to Mammalapuram and then board a ship to China? Did his father, the king, aid him in his efforts to leave Kanchi in search of a forefather who was already in China spreading Buddhism? There are many such unanswered questions. With hope in my heart and filled with pride and enthusiasm, I am on the way to China in an effort to try and unravel the mystery surrounding Bodhidharma,” says Haricharan.
    A Tamil film depicting the life Bodhidharma was a hit at the box office in 2011, though critics were unhappy about the dramatization and distortion of certain historical details.
    I suspect the 2011 Tamil film mentioned above was 7 AM Arivu, which, much to my dismay, I still have not seen.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  4. #4
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    More

    still sounds intriguing...
    Rediscovering Bodhidharma
    Director Haricharan on shooting a documentary about the Buddhist monk


    FILM DREAMSHaricharan with the monks

    Filmmaker S. Haricharan (of Thoovaanam fame) visited China on an invitation to shoot a documentary on the life of the 28th patriarch of Buddhism, Bodhidharma.

    After spending 10 exciting days of discovery, Haricharan talks about his experiences.

    “When this trip came about, my mind could only fathom the words Kungfu and Zen in a superficial manner. At the Shaolin Temple, Bodhidharma's explosive Kungfu is still being practised; a therapeutic cure for mind and body! When I stepped into the temple for the first time it was the peace and tranquillity that blew me over. As I stood in front of the monastery’s historic main gate and my cameraman clicked the first snap, it felt as if I was experiencing some sort of a mirage,” says Haricharan.

    Haricharan’s China visit was broadly categorised into three parts — a three-day shooting experience at the Shaolin Temple; a foray into Chinese filmdom to explore possibilities of promoting Tamil cinema; and meeting administrators of Chinese film academies to moot and promote the exchange of visual communication students and faculty between Tamil Nadu and China.

    “I feel gratified that I have achieved so much more than I thought possible during this 10-day visit to Shanghai, Hongzhu and Beijing, among other places. I’m confident that my visit will pave the way for the promotion of cinema both in China and India and particularly help take Tamil cinema one step forward in terms of promoting content and attracting prospective investors from China,” says Haricharan.

    According to the Masters and administrators of the Shaolin Temple, no Tamil filmmaker had possibly ever visited it, at least in the recent past to verify the records about Bodhidharma. Haricharan had gone to the Shaolin after making a short film presentation based on the records available and information garnered from a few locals.

    The Abbot Shi Yongxin keenly watched the film and asked him for clarifications and details.

    After watching the film, to his total surprise, he got up with a smile, blessed him and presented a bronze statue of Bodhidharma (called Damo in China).

    Adds Haricharan, “Documentary filmmaking is not exactly lucrative for most Tamil directors. It is my good fortune that Master Sha Yan Lin gave us full access to shoot inside the temple. Unseen stone inscriptions and records were shown to enable me to connect the missing pieces of the Bodhidharma puzzle, which you will get to see in my documentary.”

    The documentary will focus on the life of Damo, his travel from Kanchi to Shaolin, his fiery encounter with Emperor Xiao Yan, his deep meditation and his nine-year penance at the Mount Song of Henan province, his words of wisdom which were the very basis and founding of Zen and the art of Kungfu.

    “His enormous contribution to traditional Chinese medicine (TMC as it is commonly referred to today) is well-known,” states the director, adding, “The film will showcase the almost-forgotten hero from Kanchi who taught Zen meditation and medicine — Dhyan as Ch'an, Kalari as Kungfu to the Chinese. Through Damo, the Chinese rediscovered Gautama Buddha. It will also showcase unseen footage of the fun-loving but highly disciplined Shaolin monks,” concludes Haricharan.

    It is my good fortune that Master Sha Yan Lin gave us full access to shoot inside the temple
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

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