Set in Delhi's Manju-Ka-Tilla, Tibetan film opens at Toronto fest

Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam film "The Sweet Requiem", which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) here on Sunday, highlights the continuing tragedy of Tibetan exiles escaping to India through the high mountainous passes.

Set in Delhi's Tibetan settlement at Manju-Ka-Tilla, this film is the couple's follow-up to their 2005 film Dreaming Lhasa.

Inspired by the shooting incident of 2006 on Nangpa La Pass - between Tibet and Nepal - where Chinese guards fired and killed 16-year Tibetan girl Kelsang Namtso escaping to India, "The Sweet Requiem" tries to bring the Tibetan refugee crisis into the world's consciousness.

The protagonist of this film is 26-year-old Dolkar (played by Tenzin Dolker) whose family has had suffered a similar fate as the girl killed by the Chinese guards.

As the film's plot unfolds, Dolkar was eight when he father took the heart-breaking decision to leave her mother back in Tibet and escape with her to India with a small group of Tibetans. But on the treacherous snow-clad escape route through mountain passes, their guide Gompo betrays her father.

The bitter memories of their escape and treachery by Gompo keep haunting Dolkar as grows into a young woman till she comes face to face with the man who betrayed them.

Driven by revenge as Dolkar chases the aging Gompo through the back alleys of Majnu-Ka-Tilla, parallel political intrigues too become part of the larger plot as she finally confront Gompo .

Speaking after the premiere of the film, Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam said their film aims to draw attention to the criss confronting Tibetan refugees.

"The killing of the 16-year-old by Chinese guards was the trigger for us to make this film to highlight the crisis Tibetans face," said Tenzing Sonam who lives in Darjeeling.

"My family was one of the first Tibetan refugees. We came to India with the Dalai Lama and I was born in India. The tragedy continues."

Apart from Manju-Ka-Tilla, the couple shot parts - the escape from Tibet - in Ladakh.

(Gurmukh Singh can be contacted at gurmukh100@gmail.com)

--IANS

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