Bhutan's 'The Monk and the Gun' Aims for Oscar Glory

New Delhi, Aug 28 (PTI) - Bhutanese filmmaker Pawo Choyning Dorji, who spent much of his early life in India due to his diplomat father's posting, believes that observing his native Bhutan from afar has equipped him with a unique perspective on its culture. He aims to share this cultural richness with the world through his films. In Dorji's latest work, "The Monk and the Gun," Bhutan's official entry for the 2023 Oscars, an important period in the country's recent history is captured.

The film, now available on MUBI India, transports viewers to 2006 when King Jigme Singye Wangchuck introduced democratic elections to Bhutan, complete with a mock exercise to familiarize the populace. Dorji explained to PTI, "In Bhutan, there's a saying about not seeing your eyelashes because they are too close. But coming back during holidays allowed me to observe things differently, just like noticing your eyelashes from a distance. I've captured those scenes from my childhood in the film."

Set in the town of Ura, "The Monk and the Gun" tells the tale of an old Lama instructing a young monk to obtain a gun amid mock elections between color-named parties. The monk's journey intertwines with an American collector in search of an antique rifle. The film intriguingly answers why a Lama would need a gun, while also highlighting Bhutan's unique qualities.

"I tell people this film is about innocence," Dorji said. "As Bhutan modernized, we lost a bit of that innocence. Yes, we heard that sometimes innocence is ignorance, but my film says it's also okay to maintain innocence." The story began to take shape when the pandemic kept Dorji confined to Bhutan. It was during a retreat to central Bhutan, while building a stupa, that he learned why toy guns were in the stupa's foundation, sparking the film's narrative.

Dorji emphasized Bhutan's rare democratic transition that was war-free, which contrasted with the notion he encountered as a political science student in the US. He found it amusingly ironic that, post-mock elections, Bhutanese still endorsed the Yellow party, valuing tradition over industrial development represented by the Red party. His film also sheds light on how the country's citizens were culturally influenced by new outlets like television.

"I tell Americans, your significant moment was the moon landing, ours was switching on the TV," he shared. "TV brought communities together, with homes boasting bigger TVs becoming social hubs." Having spent a considerable chunk of his life in India, particularly in Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and Himachal Pradesh, Dorji is thrilled his film found a platform in India, a place vital to his formative years.

"India is where I discovered my passion and aspired to what I'm doing today. I'm grateful my film has now reached its incredible audience," he acknowledged. "The Monk and the Gun" earned the Audience Choice Award at Mumbai's MAMI, and "Lunana: The Yak in the Classroom" is Bhutan's only Oscar-nominated film.

Dorji remarked on the universal resonance of his work, stating, "When 'Yak in the Classroom' got the Oscar nod, I told Hollywood that you'll be watching something unique—a film about people in skirts in a language unfamiliar to you. Yet, it reflects our shared human experiences." A former photographer identifying as a storyteller, Dorji expressed his cultural tradition lacks a term for storytelling. "In Bhutan, storytelling is likened to untying a knot, liberating, and freeing, which is the essence of any story."