Kalki Koechlin-starrer 'Ruhani & Dolma' to premiere at Tasveer Film Festival

Actor Kalki Koechlin's upcoming science-fiction drama "Ruhani & Dolma", written, directed and produced by Chandni Varma, will have its world premiere at the 21st Tasveer Film Festival and Market in Seattle.

The film will screen as part of the festival's Moonless Ghamelas programme. The Tasveer Film Festival showcases diverse stories from South Asia and its diaspora.

"Ruhani & Dolma" centres on Dr Ruhani Rolani, a celebrated quantum physicist on the verge of proving the controversial theory of parallel universes. As she approaches a potentially career-defining breakthrough, her professional ambitions and personal life begin to unravel, compelling her to question both the science she has pursued and her understanding of existence.

Koechlin, known for her work in projects including "Made in Heaven", said the story's exploration of parallel universes immediately caught her attention when Varma approached her with it.

"'Ruhani and 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," she said in a statement.

The actor added that the film also explores love and the unpredictable ways in which people can rediscover deep feelings, regardless of the passage of time.

Varma said the premiere at Tasveer was particularly meaningful because of the festival's focus on South Asian filmmakers and stories.

"This is a film that comes from a very personal curiosity about the unseeming similarities between science and spirituality and the questions that continue to fascinate us about the universe, existence, and what may lie beyond what we can see," she said.

Actor Namit Das, who features in the film, praised Varma's approach to storytelling, describing her as one of the most sensitive directors he had worked with in recent times.

He said the story appeared deeply connected to Varma's own perspective, adding that working under her direction felt like serving as an instrument through which she could express her writing.

Das said he valued collaborations with artists who brought honesty, sensitivity and lived experience to their work.