Debut director Karma Takapa has come to Vary along with his producers to present the competition film Ralang Road, which draws significantly on the genius loci of the north-eastern tip of India, to be more specific a mountain village in the Himalayan region of Sikkim. The central plot begins to unfold when the village's social microcosm is disrupted by the arrival of a foreigner – a teacher who must resolve pressing personal issues in the region.
Although in the director's words the picture was meant to concern everyday matters, he could not completely avoid a religious undertone. "The influence of Buddhism in the film was more subconscious than direct, which comes from the environment. For the locals, religion is the meaning of life and they speak about it very often," added Takapa, who was born where the shooting was done and cast a number of local villagers in the film.
The Sikkim region is not a typical location for filming and Ralang Road is not a typical example of Indian cinema. "We did not have any references among Indian films. We wanted to move away from the typical Indian narrative, which is represented by things such as songs and dances. We set the goal of experimenting more," was how producer Anadi Athaley placed the film in context.
