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How do you make a film about ancient Tibetan history and legend, while keeping it relevant to a modern audience? It helps if, as is the case with Milarepa: Magician, Murderer, Saint, your director is a Tibetan Buddhist lama, and you have over 50 Tibetan monks in your cast and crew -- and a story full of human drama that centers around a fascinating character. The film tells the story of Milarepa, an 11th century yogi and poet who rose from a tragic youth and a period spent studying black arts so that he could exact murderous revenge, who went on to achieve "enlightenment" and become one of the most famous of the Tibetan Saints.

The film's storyline sticks pretty close to Tibetan Buddhist legend: Milarepa, born as Thopaga (played by various actors as he ages, and by monk Jamyang Lodro as an adult) to a wealthy merchant family, enjoys a pampered existence in his youth, until his father suddenly falls ill and dies, leaving his estate in trust with his brother to hold for Thopaga until the young boy comes of age to marry his cousin, to whom he is betrothed. The uncle, a greedy and deceitful man, steals Thopaga's estate and forces the boy, his mother and his younger sister to live in poverty, surviving off scraps. Thopaga's mother, Kargyen (Kelsang Chukie Tethong, who also provides some of the vocals for the soundtrack) is bitter and angry at the unfairness of her brother-in-law's actions, but is powerless to change things.

Ever wish you could visit a movie set, to see what it's really like? Fox Searchlight provided us this exclusive, behind-the-scenes first look at Production Day 6 of Wes Anderson's latest film, The Darjeeling Limited, which stars Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Adrien Brody as brothers attempting to renew their brotherly bond on a "spiritual quest" in India.

This clip is a peek at the cast and crew getting set up for a shoot inside the Jodhpur Sikh Temple. Anderson has this to say about the clip: "Anyone who has been inside a Sikh temple knows you are always required to cover your head. There is usually a basket filled with a selection of colorful scarves just inside the door for visitors without turbans to choose from." Well, that explains the brothers' brightly hued headgear in the clip ...

I don't know about you, but I am hot to see this movie. I love Wes Anderson, and I'm really curious to see how Wilson, Schwartzman and Brody work onscreen as siblings. For more on The Darjeeling Limited, check out these other behind-the-scene clips and the trailer over on Moviefone. The film opens in limited release September 29.

I think we are all used to a little scandal with our celebrities; a couch jump here, a nip-slip there and even the odd racist tirade. But a trial in India surrounding Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt has them all beat.

Just days after having one his films chosen as an eligible Foreign Selection for the Oscars (Lage raho Munnabhai), Sanjay Dutt has been convicted for his role in a wave of bombings that swept the city of Mumbai, India in 1993. Over 250 people were killed during the blasts, and families have waited over 13 years to see the accused brought to trial. Dutt was a one of Bollywood's most respected stars and this story has gripped India for weeks now. Dutt was accused of criminal conspiracy under the Terrorism and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, and possession of illegal arms under the Arms Act. Dutt was found guilty of the firearm possession, but acquitted of all other charges.

The bombings had been linked to Indian organized crime, which has long been rumored to be connected to the entertainment business. The Indian film industry is the biggest in the world in terms of the number of films produced and tickets sold. So if you are unfamiliar with the Bollywood phenomenon, this is the equivalent of Jack Nicholson going on a bombing rampage in downtown LA -- it's that big. It's not over yet though, as Dutt is still out on bail and is awaiting sentencing on December 19.

As The Da Vinci Code continues to pull in piles of money around the world, the controversy about its content refuses to die and reports of further bannings continue to trickle in. The latest news comes from Pakistan where, though the country is approximately 97% Muslim, the government has decided to ban the movie out of respect for the nation's Christian minority. According to the country's minister of culture, the fact that his own religion isn't mistreated in the movie isn't the issue. In fact, he said, "Islam teaches us to respect all prophets of Allah mighty, and degradation of any prophet is tantamount to defamation of the rest."

Additionally, the movie has been banned in five Indian states for fear it would cause unrest. Though, as with Pakistan, Christians make up a very small minority of the country's total population (less than 2%, according to Variety), there are states in which they are the majority, and several of those states experienced protests prior to the film's planned release. Though the rest of India -- including a handful of states in which Christians make up a large percentage of the population -- is flocking to see the movie (albeit with a "THIS IS FICTION" disclaimer), it cannot be seen in Punjab, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Andra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu.

Few filmmakers will ever undergo what Deepa Mehta went through to see Water, the last film of her elemental trilogy, to fruition. After raising the ire of Hindu fundamentalists with her films Fire (about two sisters-in-law in loveless marriages who embark on a lesbian relationship) and Earth (about the uneasy relationship between India and Pakistan), Mehta initially set out to film Water in India. The Uttar Pradesh government initially provided security for the film, but following violent protests and repeated death threats against Mehta, the government pulled its support, on the grounds it could not ensure Mehta's safety. Years later, Mehta made a fresh start under a veil of secrecy in neighboring Sri Lanka, filming under the fake title of Full Moon, with a new cast and with no publicity, in order to minimize conflict. When a director goes through all that to make a film, one hopes the end result will be startlingly good, and Water, fortunately, does not disappoint.

 

Slain independence leader Mahatma Gandhi is no longer politically correct in India, now that militarism is gaining in popularity, says Indian-born director Deepa Mehta, who included words from Gandhi in her film Water. Mehta spoke at the Bangkok Film Festival, where Water - the third in a trilogy of films including Fire (1996), about the relationship between two sisters-in-law in loveless marriages, and  Earth (1998), about religious strife in the city of Lahore when India was suddenly granted independence in 1947 -  was screening.

Water, about the plight of castigated widows in India in the 1930s forced to live together in disgrace and brutal poverty, has been a long time in the making. Filming originally began in 2000 in India, but had to be shut down because Mehta was receiving daily rape and death threats from aggressive Hindu Nationalists protesting the film. The film was recast and re-shot several years later in Sri Lanka. Cinematical will be reviewing Water in early March.

[ via indieWIRE ]

Pakistan's 40 year ban on the exhibition of Indian films ended this weekend with a screening of Sohni Mahiwal, a Bollywood classic made in 1984. In addition to signaling improved relations between the two nations, the decision is also expected to provide a great lift to the domestic film industry in Pakistan. Though that result is initially somewhat counter-intuitive, the fact is that the Bollywood ban devastated Pakistan's film community - once it began, audiences, more interested in watching pirated copies of Bollywood films than going to the cinemas, stayed home. Fewer viewers meant less demand; theaters closed and fewer films were made. There are only 270 movie theaters in Pakistan today, less than a quarter of the number that existed in the 1970s, and an industry that regularly produced about 300 films a year just a few decades ago turned out only 18 in 2005.

Not surprisingly, the change in the law comes as a great relief to those within Pakistan's film industry, a group that has pushed for the ban to be lifted for years. And, while some restrictions on the films allowed in are expected to be maintain, those in Bollywood are nevertheless thrilled to have renewed access to an audience that is 162 million strong.