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Ruhani & Dolma, a science-fiction romance short film written, directed and produced by Chandni Varma and starring Kalki Koechlin and Namit Das, will have its world premiere at the 21st Tasveer Film Festival & Market in Seattle. The film will screen as part of the festival’s Moonless Ghamelas programme.
The 32-minute film is a story about love, loss, identity, faith and the search for meaning. The film premieres on October 16 at the Tasveer Film Festival, a platform that showcases diverse stories from South Asia and its diaspora. It is also the only Oscar-qualifying South Asian film festival in the world.
Ruhani & Dolma follows Dr. Ruhani Rolani, played by Koechlin, a celebrated quantum physicist on the verge of proving the controversial theory of parallel universes. At a pivotal moment in her life, however, her professional ambitions and personal world begin to unravel, forcing her to question not only the science she has devoted her life to, but also her own understanding of existence.
The film follows Ruhani's journey as an exploration of two seemingly opposing ways of understanding the universe, with one rooted in scientific inquiry and the other in spiritual contemplation. Ruhani & Dolma explores the space between what science can prove and what the human spirit continues to wonder about.
Alongside Koechlin and Das, the film stars Zachary Coffin, Richard Bhakti Klein, Kesang Butit and Meetu Malik. The film is also produced by Varun Malik co-produced by Satyen Chandiramani. Its music score is composed by Lorenzo Barcella, with cinematography by Vandita Jain and editing by Archit D Rastogi.
Koechlin opened up about what the story means to her, explaining that, "Ruhani & Dolma is a film about what happens when ego is replaced by curiosity, the delicate balance between proof and faith, between knowledge and intuition, between new discoveries and ancient practices. It’s also a film about love, and the non linear way in which we can fall back into feeling deeply, without warning, and with no regard for the passage of time."
Speaking about the film's premiere at the festival, Varma shared, "Having Ruhani & Dolma premiere at Tasveer, a festival that has created such a unique space for South Asian filmmakers and stories, is tremendously special to me, particularly because it gives the film an opportunity to meet a global audience."