Local martial artist kicks butt for Buddha in new film
PORTLAND, Ore. - Local martial arts master Shuny Bee is on a mission.
It may seem odd that a man who wields lethal Ninja sticks and a machete-sized knife wants to fight for social harmony, but the soft-spoken 39-year-old with friendly brown eyes and a boyish face has a commitment to helping combat street crime.
As a boy in Nepal, Bee watched in awe as Bruce Lee kicked baddies around on the big screen. Today, the Taekwondo master and hand-weapon expert has a vision of the martial arts as a positive social force, unified by the principles of Buddhism.
He began practicing Taekwondo as a child and when only 16 years old struck out on his own, leaving his worried but supportive parents to pursue a career as a martial-arts performer in Bollywood. After appearing in Hindi action films throughout the mid-1980s, Bee followed the footsteps of his idol Bruce Lee and wound up in Hollywood.
In 1999 he joined a friend in Portland and founded his own Taekwondo studio in Milwaukie. He earned a 6th degree black-belt, established his own style of kickboxing called Bajra and authored a book and DVD, "The Way of the Nunchaku" (those Japanese “nunchucks” made famous by Lee).
But his experience as a teenager on the streets of Bombay made Bee increasingly committed to a martial-arts philosophy of self-improvement and concern for community. One time, a friend asked for help finding two girls who had been taken from Nepal to work as prostitutes in Bombay. After successfully rescuing the girls from an organized crime gang Bee sat down to write his story as a screenplay.
That story, co-authored with Bee’s wife, Neelam, has now been produced as the first Nepalese martial arts film ever made. "Gorkha Rakshyak" (meaning “Gorkha Protector,” a reference to the fierce Gorkha warriors of Nepal) will have its world premiere on Saturday at the Hollywood Theatre.
Shot in Nepal on 16mm and transferred to high-definition video, the film stars Bee in a fictional version of his encounter with street gangs in Bombay. The film also features Robert Madrigal, who has been Bee’s student for 10 years and now holds a 3rd degree black belt in Taekwondo.
But there is more to Bee’s cinematic vision than lightning-fast kickboxing and flying bad guys. The film opens with a scene shot on location at the birthplace of Buddha, with the hero living as a Buddhist monk. His enlightenment makes him determined to use martial arts to fight crime throughout the world.
"The film's hero doesn't set out to spread Buddhism," Bee said, "but through the practice of meditation and physical training he realizes that he wants to use his spiritual and physical training for a positive purpose and for the good of the community - to help young people to fight against drugs and learn physical fitness and discipline."
The real Shuny Bee wants the film to turn practitioners in all branches of martial arts toward the service of Buddhist social values. The “student oath” required by Master Bee reflects this mission.
Its first principles are:
- I shall never misuse martial arts against anything
- I shall always stand firm and strong for freedom and justice
- I shall build a peaceful world filled with love and harmony.
If Bruce Lee is watching, I’m sure he would approve.
"Gorkha Rakshyak" will screen at the Hollywood Theater at 4 p.m., Saturday Nov. 1, 4122 N.E. Sandy Blvd, (503) 281-4215. Tickets are $12.
- Sarah Berry is a freelance writer on film and popular culture
