18 Jul 2016, 06:08 am

"I am happy to screen Umformung before the sexworkers as special guests. They are products of the society and should not be ostracised," director Sudeep Ranjan Sarkar says after the screening.
"Also the screening is graced by monks as my film talks about the journey of a monk from the idyllic monastery to the dark underbelly of a city. Like the diverse backgrounds the film has a diverse audience," he says.
The monk journeys from the monastery in picturesque mountains to a city brothel and thus the film has texts and sub-texts reflecting the complexities of life, the different worlds which converge at one point. This is the crux of Umformung – The Transformation, Sarkar
says.
"Here two parallel stories are juxtaposed in one world Umformung – The Transformation is about a Buddhist monk in quest of the ultimate truth," he said.
Winner of Best Background Score – at 5th Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival, and Merit for International Film – World Film Award, Jakarta, Umformung looks at Buddhism as a way of life and how detachment is the ultimate truth.
"A prostitute 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!” Nothing else could explain that better than this evening's screening," the director says.
Produced by Rita Jhawar the film is slated for an all India release on Aug 26.
- USA: Santoor Ashram Kolkata mesmerises Los Angeles with a celebration of Indian classical music
- India Setu curtain raiser showcases AI, healthcare, and conservation as drivers of global collaboration
- Feminist pioneer Abala Bose was both a subscriber and critique of colonial ideas: Author Saptarshi Mallick
- Rotary Club of Belur strengthens Kolkata healthcare with donation to Ramkrishna Mission Seva Pratishthan
- India Humanity Foundation launches “Padho Bharat 2025” literacy campaign
- Kolkata: Mega health camp transforms lives in Ultadanga slum with free multi-specialty services
- 'Music Meets Bells' returns: New York to witness divine confluence of sound and movement
- SonaSPEED motors power NASA–ISRO synthetic aperture radar mission
- London to host maiden thought leadership summit IndiSetu to boost India-UK innovation and cultural ties
- From Loom to Label: Sona College of Tech’s Fashion Tech department powering innovation and careers
Air New Zealand has announced plans to host a live inflight concert, ‘SYNTHONY in the Sky’, on Dec 4 aboard Flight NZ1331 from Auckland to Sydney.
Qatar Airways will move its New York operations to The New Terminal One at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in 2026. As part of the relocation, the airline plans to open a 15,000-square-foot lounge, its first dedicated facility in both New York City and the United States.
All Air Canada planes remained grounded late Saturday despite the Canadian government intervening to end a strike called by cabin crew members that resulted in hundreds of flights being cancelled and triggered chaos, media reports said.