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What's After the Movie?
Romantic drama

Samsara (2001): Cast, Box Office & Plot

Samsara (2001) movie poster

Samsara is a 2001 romantic drama directed by Pan Nalin, starring Shawn Ku as Tashi, Christy Chung Lai-Tai and Tenzin Tashi. It runs 2 hours 18 minutes and earned $3.3 million worldwide.

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Samsara (2001) movie poster
Released
Runtime
2h 18m (138 min)
Director
Pan Nalin
Genres
Drama , Romance , Adventure
Original language
Tibetan
Studio
Fandango
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Samsara About?

The premise of Samsara without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

A love story situated in the Himalayas. A Buddhist monk can’t choose between life and the way of the Buddha.

Samsara Themes & Keywords

· 43 tags
  • buddhist
  • himalayas
  • tibetan traditions
  • ladakh
  • love
  • infidelity
  • tibetan tradition
  • sex scene
  • jammu and kashmir
  • tibetan
  • skinny dipping
  • public nudity
+31 more
  • nude bathing
  • male rear nudity
  • corporal punishment
  • beating
  • temptation
  • prayer wheel
  • prayer flag
  • goat
  • cave
  • buddha
  • tibet
  • tibetan music
  • tibetan monk
  • tibetan dance
  • buddhism
  • spiritual healing
  • zen
  • independent film
  • large breasts
  • tibetan buddhist monk
  • wheat farm
  • home birth
  • mountain farming
  • seductress
  • wedding
  • female full frontal nudity
  • naked female breasts
  • female full rear nudity
  • boy rear nudity
  • boy skinny dipping
  • boy
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Cast & crew

Samsara Cast & Characters

Shawn Ku leads the cast as Tashi, with Christy Chung Lai-Tai as Pema and Tenzin Tashi as Karma. Directed by Pan Nalin; 7 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in Samsara

· 3 more
From the director

More from Pan Nalin

More films directed by Pan Nalin, best-rated first: Last Film Show, Ayurveda: Art of Being, Beyond the Known World and Angry Indian Goddesses.

Full filmography
Plot

Samsara Plot Summary

What happens in Samsara from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

From childhood, Tashi is drawn to the monastic path, beginning his training as a Buddhist monk at the age of five. Two decades pass before he emerges from a demanding three-year solitary meditation, earning the degree of khenpo from his rinpoche. Yet a private test follows as he begins to have wet dreams, and these experiences strain the relationships within the temple, challenging the routines and expectations of monastic life.

Full summary

The whole story of Samsara, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Box office

Samsara Box Office

Samsara grossed $3.3 million worldwide.

2001 box office

Worldwide gross

$3.3M

International
$3.3M
Videos

Samsara Trailers & Videos

The trailer of Samsara.

Samsara (Trailer)
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Samsara?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

At what age did Tashi begin his training as a Buddhist monk?

Details

Samsara Also Known As

9 alternative titles, including “轮回” and “Samsara – Geist und Leidenschaft”.

Also known as
  • 轮回
  • Samsara – Geist und Leidenschaft
  • 色戒
  • סמסרה
  • Самсара
  • Szamszára
  • Самсарa
  • 삼사라
  • “သံဿရာ”

Seen Samsara?

FAQ

Samsara FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime

Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, post-credit scenes and language of Samsara, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Samsara?

Samsara runs 2 hours 18 minutes (138 minutes).

When was Samsara released?

Samsara was released on September 13, 2001.

Who directed Samsara?

Samsara was directed by Pan Nalin.

More films by Pan Nalin

Who is in the cast of Samsara?

Samsara stars Shawn Ku as Tashi, Christy Chung Lai-Tai as Pema and Tenzin Tashi as Karma, among 7 credited actors.

How much did Samsara make at the box office?

Samsara grossed $3.3 million worldwide.

Does Samsara have a post-credit scene?

No. Samsara has no extra scene during or after the credits.

What language is Samsara in?

The original language of Samsara is Tibetan.

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