The ONLY film by a real expert on Asian culture, Buddhism & martial arts
From Martin Scorcese and Brad Pitt to Keanu Reeves and Jackie Chan - many Hollywood and Asian filmmakers have made Buddhist themed films. However, Buddha Files: Samurai, Shaolin & Hwarang is the only film made by a world-acclaimed expert in Asian culture and Buddhism as well as an avant-garde filmmaker (who has perfected his skills by working with such legends as the film crew of Oscar-winner Satyajit Ray - mentor to the august likes of Martin Scorcese, Danny Boyle and Christopher Nolan). Soho has been praised for lecturing alongside over a dozen professors including from Oxford and Harvard -- and for representing the Asian Diaspora at the world's top forums from the Olympics to the US Congress and Canadian Legislature. Further, Soho is also the owner of the world's largest collection of masterworks pertaining to Bodhidharma and is an expert in all forms of martial arts including Shaolin Chin Na, Japanese Aikijutsu and Korean Hapkido. Soho has a home in Tokyo and also maintains a residence in Gangnam Korea thus truly understanding the culture of both Japan and Korea. With such strong background in Asian culture and Buddhism as well as filmmaking and martial arts, Soho is the only person most suited to helm the most important Asian, Buddhist and martial arts film ever made.
Buddha Files: Samurai, Shaolin & Hwarang is the only Buddhist film by a bonafide expert in the authentic culture of Samurai, Shaolin and Hwarang as well as their Buddhist martial arts and traditions - who has even represented Asian diasporas at the world's most important forums.
Why is Buddha Files such an important film?
Soho: From Martin Scorcese to Brad Pitt to Keanu Reeves to Tina Turner, many Hollywood icons have made films with a Buddhist theme and martial arts films have always been popular from Crouching Tiger to the Karate Kid. But Buddha Files: Samurai, Shaolin, and Hwarang is the first and only film to properly deal with the Buddhist origins of martial arts and history's worst genocide that shaped the greatest warriors of Korea, China and Japan. Further, Buddhism is not merely a religion but the foundation of Asian culture, art, heritage, traditions, history and civilizational identity. President Lee Jae-myung said "Buddhism is the foundation of Korea's traditional culture and spiritual culture - the national religion that unites citizens and has prevented invasions by foreign powers... The Govt of Korea is responsible for the historical task of transmitting Buddhist culture". Similarly, Xi Jinping is spending billions on Buddhism as China's soft power and even sent the Buddhist film Xuanzhang as China's Official Entry to the Oscars and the late Shinzo Abe said that Buddhism played an incalculable role in shaping Japanese civilization. So just as there are important films about the Jewish holocaust and about Black slavery, it is very important for Asians to have a strong voice in cinema and Buddha Files does more to promote Asian culture than any other film.
What connection does Buddha Files have to Oscar-winner Satyajit Ray?
Soho: Bengal was the last bastion of Buddhism in India and most Bengalis have Buddhist names. Also, many Bengali intellectuals have a soft corner for Buddhism which is why Nobel-Laureate Tagore played a seminal role along with Okakura Tenshin in bringing Buddhism back to India -- and Nobel-Laureate Amartya Sen has often lamented the fall of Buddhism in India. Satyajit Ray is widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time who influenced the likes of Martin Scorcese, Chris Nolan and Danny Boyle -- and Ray's closest associate, the legendary Legion of Honor winner Soumitra Chatterjee was like a mentor to me over decades and the first person to encourage me to use filmmaking as a tool to tell stories that needed to be told. Soumitra Uncle repeatedly told me before his death that the story of the Buddhist genocide had to be told -- it was our duty to our ancestors and future generations Soumitra Uncle was even going to play the role of Buddha but unfortunately passed away due to Covid. However, he did suggest we use Neorealism instead of Fantasy to tell the story. So instead of trying to "dramatize" the genocide that occurred 1500 to 2000 years ago, Soumitra Uncle advised that I instead film in the ruins of the genocide and let them tell the story of what occurred. He explained that even Ray would use locations in a smart way to advance the narrative. Similarly, Soumitra Uncle advised that I also film in Japan, Korea and China to show that though Buddhism was fully erased in India, it still thrives across Asia and so filming all across the Buddhist nations was an essential part of the storytelling.
Why did you use an updated version of Bodhidharma to tell the story?
Soho: Bodhidharma is the most revered Asian figure after the Buddha himself. He is the cultural mascot of Japan as Daruma, and his pictures are seen across Asian homes, stores, museums, dojos and even wallets. He is also the coolest Asian as the founder of Kung Fu. The reason I updated his story is because Asians of Korea, Japan and China are living in the world's most developed and futuristic nations. Its vital to present historic figures in a manner that is relatable to Asians in general - especially the youth. Also, I was heavily inspired by Baz Luhrman's Romeo and Juliet with Leo DiCaprio as well as Blackpink Jenny's video for Zen where she paid a futuristic tribute to Korean culture in what is the coolest K-pop video ever made. The Buddha advises us to use Upaya or "skillful means" to present Buddhist ideas and wisdom in a cool, creative and relatable way - not a dry, boring approach that has no mainstream appeal. So Buddha Files can appeal not just to Buddhists but also non-Buddhists and movie fans interested in Asian culture and martial arts.
Why do you call Buddha Files the most important martial arts film ever?
Soho: From Crouching Tiger and the Matrix to John Wick and Karate Kid, many films feature martial arts but Buddha Files is the first to actually focus on the origins of Kung Fu and the Buddhist Genocide that created the tradition of warrior monks across Asia including the founder and patron saint of martial arts in general - the peerless Bodhidharma. Buddha Files is also the only film to pay a rousing tribute to Shaolin of China, Samurai of Japan and Hwarang of Korea and to be filmed in over a dozen cities across Asia. All of the fights are real without wires or stunt doubles or special effects or being sped up in post. So the fight choreography is unique and the fighters are real experts -- from the Shaolin temple to actual blackbelts. And a percentage of all profits will go towards a Buddhist Holocaust Museum that will preserve Asian art, objects, weapons and antiquities including the largest collection of artworks dedicated to Bodhidharma. This is unprecedented and truly history in the making.
What preparation did you have to do to play the iconic role of Bodhidharma?
Soho: A major challenge was to depict different looks, ages and sides of Bodhidharma on his journey from a cool Prince to a credible monk -- and while this is important for any biography, it was all the more so as this biography is inspired by history's most creative and original painters -- each envisioning Bodhidharma in their own way. For a while we interviewed a few Indian actors but they were all Hindu or Muslims -- there are literally no Buddhists in India. Thereafter we looked at potentially getting a Korean or Japanese or Chinese actor for the role but that would be too controversial. So the financiers saw me as the only choice that would have had legitimacy due to my expertise in cinema, martial arts and Buddhism as well as my unique ability to cater to Koreans, Japanese and Chinese demographics. That said, I performed all of my own stunts and was even hospitalized with an injury after one of the major fight scenes. I also had to act in English, Japanese and Sanskrit -- which no other actor has ever done. And directing and acting at the same time is always challenging -- that too when travelling all over the world. While I enjoyed filming all across Japan (where I have a home and many Japanese crew-mates) -- and I enjoy living in Korea for the post-production where I am also making many friends and associates -- it was traumatic to film in India in the very sites where Buddhists were slaughtered and tortured in extreme ways in ancient history's worst genocide centuries ago. So as the subject matter is very grim and tragic -- we had to balance out the drama with cool fight sequences to give the audience all the entertainment of a martial arts film with the empowerment of a holocaust movie. It was thus a very difficult film to make -- but a story I needed to tell for the sake of our Asian ancestors. And despite the very gritty subject matter, it upholds a message of peace and pluralism between different nations and religions in a powerful, pragmatic and non-preachy way. And combines all the style of a blockbuster with the substance of an Oscar-contending film.
