Shooting of Tibetan film ‘The Lost Country’ begins in November

DHARAMSALA - The shooting of “The Lost Country”, produced by an exiled Tibetan on the condition of exiles and their issues of identity and culture, will start in November, film maker Kargyur Rinpoche said here Sunday.

“The shooting of ‘The Lost Country’ will commence in November. It will be the big budget film… A whopping Rs.15 crore would be spent on the film that will feature actors from the US, India and Nepal,” Rinpoche told IANS.

Bollywood actor Danny Dengzongpa will also feature in the Tibetan film that will be shot in locales of this town, the base of the exiled Tibetans, Lahaul and Spiti district and in the US.

“Much of the story will be shot in Dharamsala, where third or fourth generation of the exiles are living.”

Rinpoche, who has himself written the story, will direct the film along with his Indian wife Mandakani of “Ram Teri Ganga Maili” fame.

“It took me more than 12 years to realise this film… I am hopeful that the film will reflect the true picture of the plight of people of Tibet - both inside and outside the country,” said the film maker, who is in this northern hill station to screen test artistes.

Noted cinematographer Ishwar Bidri who worked on J.P. Dutta’s “Border” will shoot the film.

In 2005, “Dreaming Lhasa”, the debut feature film of another Tibetan, Tenzing Sonam, and his wife Ritu Sarin, won accolades at various international film festivals.

Around 140,000 Tibetans now live in exile, over 100,000 of them in different parts of India. Over six million Tibetans live in Tibet.