Shooting inside a Shaolin temple

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

May 31, 2014 05:04 pm | Updated 05:04 pm IST - Chennai

“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.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.