(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

The appreciation of art, be it in the form of poems, paintings or music, brings humanity together and has been doing so since time immemorial. That sentiment echoed at the Noor Royal Gallery in Jumeirah earlier this week. Hosted under the patronage of Sheikha Somayeh Noor, the evening carried an atmosphere of reverence for creativity in all its forms.

"Somewhere between right and wrong, there is a garden. I will meet you there," wrote Rumi, the 13th-century Sufi poet, born in the Balkh region of Afghanistan. Centuries later, the Academy Award-winning composer AR Rahman and Hollywood producer Arno Krimmer are uniting to bring Rumi back to life on screen.

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On inspiration behind the film, Rahman said,“There are poets and philosophers before Rumi, and then there is Rumi. Even if you don't believe or understand every statement from the Masnavi, it is very soul-satisfying, because everything is experienced and it comes from a different place. If you take the simplest of wounds, it is a place where the light enters. That's what happens when somebody is really hurt - there's a new opening for them in their life, or in their spirituality.”

From there, the conversation shifted to non-judgmentalism, a core aspect of Rumi's philosophy. Quoting Rumi,“Somewhere beyond right and wrong, there is a garden. I will meet you there,” Rahman spoke of a worldview that transcends cultures and faiths.“We judge, we label, we divide - good, bad. But beyond all of it, the light of God exists in each of us. Irrespective of belief, it connects us at the core of humanity.”

For Arno Krimmer, this film is the fulfilment of a dream he has nurtured for over two decades. Crediting destiny for their meeting, he explained how their shared passion aligned. Introduced to Rumi by German scholar Annemarie Schimmel, Krimmer recalled the moment he became“intoxicated” by Rumi's work, even as he acknowledged the challenges of creating such a film.

Like Richard Attenborough, who was ridiculed for even considering a film on Mahatma Gandhi, but then made the Gandhi-film into a massive global success, Krimmer is sure of the commercial success of his film on Rumi despite it being an unusual subject.

“Is it really a commercial subject? Is it really gonna reach the world? For example, when Attenborough was approached by the High Commissioner of India in the UK in 1962 to make a film on Gandhi, people laughed at him. How can you make a film on a fakir? It's never gonna work. It's not gonna be commercial. And yet, told the right way, with the right vision, it went on to win 8 Oscars and became one of the greatest film of all times. I believe the same is possible here,” he affirmed.

The Noor Royal Gallery is home to 17th-century European and modern art. It contains original masterpieces by Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Frida Kahlo, Francis Bacon and many more of the great artists of all time

It seemed Rumi was being captured in verse, painted on canvas and translated via film. Following the evening, it was clear that art is a bridge between eras and cultures, bringing together people from all walks of life.

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