Ocean Of Pearls

[SikherOfTheNaam]

Vaaheguroo Jee Kaa Khaalsaa Vaaheguroo Jee Kee Fateh

A few days ago as I was browsing on "MrSikhNet" and I came across this trailer titled 'Ocean of Pearls' This is the first professional western film that has a Sikh playing the main role.

In short, the story is about living life as a Sikh in a Western country and about standing out in society. It tells the story of a Sikh doctor (Amrit Singh) who struggles with his own identity and feels the pressure of having to change his physical appearance in order to pursue his career and become more successful. He then decides to hide his decision from both his family and his girlfriend, but then begins to face further problems. When he witnesses the death of a patient, he begins to re-examine his beliefs and values which he once turned his back on.

I've got to say that the film looks absoulutely amazing! and is not only enjoyable to watch but is full of lessons we can each relate to.

I hope you enjoy it.

Vaaheguroo Jee Kaa Khaalsaa Vaaheguroo Jee Kee Fateh

[Sarbat da Pala]

I am not sure abt that how nice the movie is. I have to watch it first before i can give a comment. I asked them and soon it will be possible to by dvd's

[god is great]

What that looks really misleading i know i shouldn't say that as i aint watched it but the part he cuts his hair!!?? :sad:

[Jag_Singh]

^^^ Misleading???

This is an amazing reality check for all the westernised sikh society. It's stuff like this (if goes all well) can question many about why we keep our kesh. I mean this beats the hell of out of those useless bollywood junk, if anything this should be glimps of better things to come. I thank you khalsa panth for making such films. May Vaheguru keep the Panth in Charikala.

[satpunga singh]

doesnt matter that he cuts his hair if you think about it....he already ran a hedge-trimmer through his dhari....

[god is great]

In what way is this a reality check? Its beadbi happening right infront of our eyes...as i said above i havn't watched the film to be able to make a full judgement but the trailer does NOT reflect the title. Ocean of pearls i guess is referring to guru granth sahib ji mahraaaj and from looking at the trailer theres nothing that reflects the teachings of guru mahraaj?! It might aswell be one of those bollywood films..

[Singh, Mahan]

In reality, these days, thousands of young Sikhs (even middle aged Sikhs) cut their kesh. They may give one or thousand reasons to justify their actions. To deny that fact that it is not happening at all levels is denying the reality of the situation. But there are very few who after loosing their Sikh identity give a second thought.

In this movie the main character is a very accomplished transplant surgeon. He had never cut his hair before, but he feels that in order to improve his chances of getting a coveted position as the head of the transplant program in Detroit, he should cut his hair. So he does it (and does not tell his parents who live in Toronto). Later on, few situations develop in his professional life that makes him question his own choice of cutting his hair. So the story is not about encouraging the Sikhs to cut the hair. There are other aspects in the story which make him question himself as to why he compromised his identity. This leads him to contemplate on the deeper meaning of the Sikhi faith and to rediscovery of his faith.

Director of the movie is a keshdhari Sikh himself. His name is Dr. Neelam.

In selecting the actor to play the part of the doctor in the movie, he intentionally did not select a keshdhari Sikh for the part because, to shoot the scenes in the movie he would have had to ask him to cut his hair and he would not ask any keshdhari Sikh to do that. The actor who is playing the main role is of Iranian background. (Omid Abtahi).

Here are excerpts from some of the reviews.

Dr. Amrit Singh, a young Sikh surgeon, moves to Detroit to take a position at a new organ transplant and research facility. There Amrit soon crashes head with the medical establishment. However, Amrit adapts to the status quo in his desperate need for acceptance. But after one of his favorite patients dies, Amrit hits rock bottom. He volunteers at a camp for Sikh children, where he rediscovers both himself and his faith. In the end, Amrit is forced to choose between a patient's life and his career. Amrit chooses to perform the needed transplant against the hospital's will, taking his first step onto the path to inner peace. ~ Baseline StudioSystems

Dealing with issues of faith without slipping into melodrama is a tricky endeavor for any filmmaker, much less a first-time, independent duo like Prasad and Neelem. But their inexperience as filmmakers belies their skill as storytellers, and with a talented cast to give their story life, they ultimately come out on top. As Amrit, Abtahi proves a more than capable leading man, skillfully bringing his character’s deep-rooted crisis of faith to the surface and striking a believable chemistry with his co-stars. Prasad and Neelem’s richly detailed script could have easily faltered during production with the wrong cast, but the impressive acting talent ensures that issues of health care, cultural assimilation, and family are all handled with the kind of measured finesse that ensures the heart of the film doesn’t get lost in translation. Likewise, cinematographer Lon Stratton lends the film a polished look that keeps the viewer focused on the story and captures moments of transcendent beauty — such as a meditative shot of leaves floating on a lake — with a sense of style rare for low-budget independents like Ocean of Pearls. In a time when religious conflict is simmering around the world and misconceptions about faith fuel ignorance and intolerance, Ocean of Pearls is the kind of film that reminds us that regardless of the color of our skin or the god we worship, it’s essential that we retain our values, even - or perhaps especially - when living in a culture that doesn’t necessarily embrace them.

[Jag_Singh]

In what way is this a reality check? Its beadbi happening right infront of our eyes...as i said above i havn't watched the film to be able to make a full judgement but the trailer does NOT reflect the title. Ocean of pearls i guess is referring to guru granth sahib ji mahraaaj and from looking at the trailer theres nothing that reflects the teachings of guru mahraaj?! It might aswell be one of those bollywood films..

vjkk vjkf

I'm just going to be straight and upfront with you. It's people like you who are too picky, are obnoxious about the very small things. You have to understand man, that the main purpose of this film is to help the sikh westernised society.

I mean how many times have you heard 'so and so have cut their hair' because they wanted to fit in with the world (maya) around them?? You got to understand this film delivers a sharp point across to all of the sangat.

I agree that most of the bollywood & hollywood are junk. BUT if you pay close attention you could actually learn from such films. My point is basically, this film (oceans of pearls) is a great way to get the message across to the sangat, so they can understand about the dificulties we face in this modern era.

To be honest, we don't even know why the producer chose to name it 'oceans of pearls'. It doesn't really matter what name this film got, try to get the good(gun) out from it, stay in chardikala.

bhul chuk maaf

vjkk vjkf