An Interview with Tshering Dorji, He talks about his experience in flim industry.

Tshering Dorji is a versatile actor and a singer. He love singing, dancing, and acting since his childhood. His acting skills came to public’s attention when he first did his theatric show in 2004. Since then, there was no looking back for him, with his multi-facet talent his contribution in the entertainment sphere remain invaluable.

Q. You seem to be engrossed in one or other things, what is keeping you busy these days?
A. Most of the time I think it is my thoughts which are keeping me busy. Apart from that, I spend a lot of time going to the woods, I read and listen to a lot of personal speaking on internet, and of course spend time with my wife, children, and my good friends. These are the things that are actually keeping me busy.
Q. Do you have any upcoming project that you are working on?
A. I have recently acted in couple of films such as ‘Aw Gi Chim Na Aw’, ‘I the Sing’, ‘Tsagay’, and I will soon be doing another film which we have titled ‘Am Gyeltshen’. In this film, I will be acting as a transgender.
Q. You are an artist now, was that your aspiration as a child?
A. As long as I can remember, I was just a little boy dancing in front of my parents. I would call myself an aspiring dancer, singer, and an artist. There was a question that I constantly ask myself whether I can call myself an artist because I know what an artist means and many a time I said ‘NO’ to myself, a true artist is somebody who has achieve a depth of artistry. Then I was really questioning myself, ‘Can I call myself an artist?’ Later I found, I am an artist. I am not only an artist, but also a thinker. Since I am spiritual, I would call myself sadhu (a Hindu ascetic holy man). So I am a sadhu artist and I openly proclaim it.
Q. What was your first acting experience?
A. I remember myself acting as a prince in one of our class plays when we did snow white, sleeping beauty and other plays. So I believe, I was acting since I can remember but my first official acting that was staged for public hit in 2004 when I did my street theater. 24 of us were trained for romantic theater play and also improvisational street theater. So in 2004, my first open acting was experienced where I went all over the country creating an awareness about adolescent issues and after that, I joined films in 2005.
Q. Among so many films that you have acted in, which one is your favorite?
A. Actually, I couldn’t choose one because I love all the characters that I have acted in. But having said so, I think films like ‘Hema Hema’, ‘In the realms of god’, were the few characters that I still resonate with. It talks about journeys, quest of life, and identity so, these films were the favorite.
Q. How did you feel when you were given the script of ‘Hema Hema’ and were selected as the cast in that film?
A. To be very frank, up until recently I have not really felt the beauty of life. While doing ‘Hema Hema’ I had a lot of conversation with Khyentse Rinpoche and I didn’t know what was really happening. Now, that I get to know little more about life and spiritual philosophy, it was a very profound experience that I have come to understand lot of things currently and I am actually glad to be part of that film.
Q. Was there a movie that made you cry your eyes out?
A. Well, recently I played a film called ‘Tsagay’. It is a film about a daughter and a guy, who cannot speck. I had to cry a lot in that film. The film that I watched as a reference for my character, made me cry a lot. But many a times when I practice on my own, I cry a lot. Now it is so easy for me to cry. Before I use to feel man doesn’t cry. I don’t believe to that anymore now. I cry whenever I want to cry.
Q. What is the great fan moment that comes in your mind?
A. I don’t believe in fans. I believe in well wishers. I have lot of well wishers and lot of such things happened, but I could recall a moment when I went screening ‘Tsagay’ in Paro. There was a little girl who would not go away from me, she came to me and hugged me. The next day her mother called me saying she got divorced and the girl don’t know about it. But after watching the movie, the daughter asked her about her father. Where she replied, “we got divorced.” The girl told her mother that she wants a father, a father who is a tsagay. So this was the moment that really pushes me to do what I am doing.
Another strong powerful moment is when I was doing the hosting for Druk Super Star. I knew that something was coming on my way. I thought maybe, I am going to meet the king, but that never happened. One time, I was walking on a street and a man came to me and said, I want to thank you. I asked why. He said my mother died recently, she died of third stage lung cancer. Since, Druk Super Star started, she would just play it on and watch it again and again. Up until she died. She was on diazepam (painkiller) since, she had a severe pain. The moment Druk Super Star program began, he said that she didn’t need the medicine. She just looked at the screen and kept on smiling. So, I think these are the moments that I really feel as a creator and as a giver to the society. I don’t have anything to give, but when I give such happiness to them, I feel so happy.
Q. What is your most memorable career moment?
A. While we were doing street theater in Kabesa, Punakha, we were acting out how bad is alcohol to the society. We were acting drunk. There was an old lady from Shangana who also witnessed the play. After the show, the old lady came to me and asked, “Alo (kid), do you drink alcohol?” because she thought that we were actually drunk. So, this is the biggest compliment that I receive in my life. People believed in us.
Message:
“You are not an object of sympathy; you are just a beautiful human being. So, I think if all of us could look at life like that, I think we will have a beautiful space in this world to exist. This is what every human should strive.”

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