Title: Vara: The Blessing
Director: Khyentse Norbu
Year: 2013
Country: Bhutan
Language: Dzongkha
Genre: Drama
Duration: 1 hour and 36 minutes
Tradition: Buddhism
Theme: Spirituality
Synopsis: In rural India, Lila and her mother Vinata, a temple dancer devoted to a Hindu deity, live marginalized and in poverty. Lila’s life takes a turn when Shyam, a young low-caste sculptor, asks her to be his model. Despite the risk this poses for both of them due to strict social and religious norms, Lila agrees, and a forbidden love story unfolds, putting spiritual devotion in conflict with the desires of the heart.
