French film on the life of Alexandra David Neel

PUDUCHERRY: Oscar-winning director Ang Lee chose the Union territory to shoot his 3D film based on Yann Martel´s novel Life of Pi´. And Puducherry is once again in the news, with a prominent French film production company choosing the locale to film the life of French explorer, writer and philosopher Alexandra David Neel.

Alexandra was the first European woman to travel widely in India, China and Japan. She entered Tibet through the former USSR to study Buddhism. The French film crew, which began the shoot in China in January, has been camping in Puducherry to shoot the sequences of Alexandra´s visit to Puducherry. She came to the union territory in the early 1900s and met nationalist poet and philosopher Sri Aurobindo, following the advice of his collaborator Mirra Alfassa, better known as The Mother´. Alexandra was a member of a small group formed by the Mother in France to discuss occult experiences.

"Alexandra´s story is very inspiring. She undertook a fearless journey to India, China and Japan and entered Lhasa in Tibet after crossing USSR in 1924," says director Joel Farges. Foreigners were then prohibited to enter Tibet. "Her life had all the elements necessary for a full-length feature film. Though there are a few documentaries about her, this will be first full-length film that documents her complete life," he says.

Magic Hour films executive producer Samir Sarkar, line producer of the French film in India, says though Alexandra visited India to meet Dalai Lama and study Buddhism, she travelled widely, meeting prominent spiritual leaders and visiting temples.

Popular French actor Dominique Blanc plays the role of Alexandra while a host of Indian and Chinese actors play prominent roles in the film. The crew will also be shooting in several locations in India, including Sikkim, Darjeeling, Dharmasala, Kolkata, Madurai, Kumbakonam and Chidambaram. "I have a special bond with Puducherry and I spend one or two months here every year," says Farges.

The film, which has a budget of 2.5-million euros, is produced by Pierre Jauaux. It will hit the theatres and be aired on television in March-April this year. "We also plan to screen the movie at film festivals across the world," says Farges.