He was born on May 15, 1976, into the family of Tsatkhlanov, Vladimir Borisovich, and Lidia Sangadzhievna. He grew up as a quiet boy. Of all his hobbies, the main one was the classes of the children's dance ensemble "Gerel" (directed by Emba Mandzhiev), which he began attending at a very young age. With this ensemble and Konstantin Erendjenov, the national poet of Kalmykia, he starred in his first documentary film, "Under the Sky of Sunny Kalmykia" (1984). Director Ion Mija predicted Tseren's artistic career and told his mother: "Your child is as wise as an old man."
In 1987, Lydia Sangadzhievna was very ill and weakened by the illness; she spoke and walked poorly. Tseren took care of her mother's health and accompanied her to various events. On February 15, 1988, at the Palace of Culture of the Trade Unions, at the premiere evening of David Kugultinov, Tseren sat next to his mother. While carrying a bouquet of flowers on stage, he was noticed by the director's assistant, Vera Rozhdestvenskaya, who came to Elista to select the boy for the role of Lidjukha. Although the script had already been assigned to another candidate, she approached them after the evening and invited Tseren to an audition for a film. On March 28, Tseren and his mother were summoned to Riga. That evening, they were to read the script, and in the morning, they were already auditioning for the film. Although several other boys were in the running, Tseren sat quietly, worrying more about his mother's health than about his role ("...Mom is sitting separately and might be thirsty").
The film auditions were successful, and on May 23, the assistant director came to Elista to pick them up, and the three of them left for the city of Kirov. This is where they began filming Lidjukha. According to the script, the child has long hair, but because of his small face, the hairstyle was shortened so that the eyes were visible. Now for the makeup: they painted his face—it became filthy, and black cream was put under his nails. He wore a sweatshirt over his naked body and size 42 boots with laces to show that he was dragging his feet.... Tseren's mother, Lidia Sangadzhievna, never stopped wondering why they had chosen Tseren. Ada Neretniece, the film's director, explained that the role was intended for children who had suffered from something different. Tseren was very worried about his mother's illness. This influenced the boy's character, who matured very early. Tseren's co-stars are boys, also deprived of their own destiny: Zatrechtchina, a little old man abandoned by his mother as a baby and raised by his father, Chukha. His parents are alcoholics, they break up and get back together, all in a one-room apartment...
The creative team treated the boys very well, but they became close to Tseren, who began to master the Latvian language. When filming continued in Riga, Tseren became a regular guest in Latvian families. He participated in the conversation and sometimes confused foreigners.
During a tour of the republic, Tseren wrote everything down in a scrapbook and was very happy to be in Latvia. The family lived in a suite at the film studio. Next door was the room of Maksim Munzuk (Andji's grandfather), who was always with Tseren, and the boy helped his grandfather—he ran to get beer, danced for him, and drank tea with him. The filming was a success; Tseren played his role easily and with pleasure. It was very interesting to be heard: on the screen, there was a silent film, and through the headphones, the voice...
On December 10, 1988, the premiere of the film "Fortune-telling on a Lamb Shoulder Blade" took place in Riga. For this occasion, Latvia sent a whole group from Kalmykia led by the artist Yuri Ilyanov. The filmmakers cautiously awaited the Latvians' own reaction, but people wept and thanked them for the film.
The premieres took place in Elista (December 27, 1988), Moscow (January 10, 1989), and Dushanbe (November 27, 1989). The film was purchased by many countries.
His compatriots were proud of Tseren, but he was embarrassed by his fame. They offered him film training, but he turned to religion and went to khurul. In 1993, Tseren went to study in India, at the Drepung Gomang Monastery. Tseren's teacher was sent to Kalmykia, and Tseren came with him.
