The Cannes Film Festival 2024 selected ‘Tara – The Lost Star’, a film by Sikkimese filmmakers, for market screening held on May 20. Its cinema appearance started on June 14.

Script, Direction, and Casts

The script of ‘Tara – The Lost Star’, written by Samten Bhutia, was one of the three scripts selected by the board members.

The director of the film, Samten Bhutia, was assisted by Nirmal Bhattarai. Both are from Sikkim. The producer of the film, Sabitri Chettri, is also from Sikkim.

While the casting crews were from nearby hills of Darjeeling and Nepal, a 10-year-old actor, Nityen Bhattarai, who made his appearance in the film, was from Sikkim.

Success in Showcasing Sikkim’s Film Industry

“We were able to show how much Sikkim can do in the fields of film,” Nirmal Bhattarai, the Assistant Director (AD) of the film, said during its show at Imperial Talkies Namchi.

The director and assistant director, with the support of other filmmakers from Sikkim, Darjeeling, and Kalimpong, came together to make the film a memento of Sikkim’s culture, beauty, and heritage.

Other filmmakers from the hills, Prashant Rasaily and Sushma Gurung, provided full-time support in arranging and managing the sets and crews.

Challenges in Making the Film

‘Tara – The Lost Star’ took a total of 45 days to shoot, and more than a year in post-production.

“The most difficult task in making the film was getting permissions to shoot,” Nirmal Bhattarai said.

Sikkim is a northeastern state of India that shares borders with three other countries in Asia.

Getting permissions from the Indian Army for shooting films is harder in Sikkim and time-consuming, especially for a low-budget film. “But major movies of Bollywood are made in more sensitive places like Kargil,” Nirmal Bhattarai argued.

Making films in Sikkim is difficult because of the border restrictions, finding unique shooting locations, and the usage of cameras.

Positive Reviews and Learning Experience

“Working with Samten sir was like being in an institution. He creates an environment where even I learned so much about filmmaking,” Nirmal Bhattarai said.

The reviews given by viewers from Namchi reciprocated the objectives for making the film.

They highlighted the background scenes picked by the director. The development of characters and the film’s observation of traditional and modern medical practices were appreciated.

The film also observed one societal evil – gossip – which is uncontrollable and equally harmful, they said.