Writer: Satarupa Bhattacharjya

Two things of relevance to China and India happened this month.

The eighth BRICS summit was held over Oct 15-16 in India, where President Xi Jinping met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the other leaders of the grouping - Vladimir Putin, Jacob Zuma and Michel Temer, in the seaside province of Goa. The meetings were extensively covered in media.

So, I'm moving to the next.

A week prior to BRICS, China announced Xuanzang as its Oscar entry in the best foreign film category. The film is based on Chinese monk Hiuen Tsang's 17-year overland travels to India in search of Buddhist sutras. Released in April, it was jointly produced by State-owned China Film Group Corporation and private Indian company Eros International.

Chinese media estimated the film earned $4.9 million or so in the country. I saw the posters at a bus stop down the road from where I live in Beijing. Friends said they saw more. The box-office expectations were perhaps higher also because Huang Xiaoming played the lead role. The Chinese TV and film actor has a large fan following in the country. His popularity has soared since he married model-actress-singer Angelababy (real name Yang Ying) last year.

But whether Xuanzang wins the award next year or not, it is the firstborn of a cinematic agreement between the two countries in 2014.

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