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KATHMANDU, March 18: “I make films for myself,” says independent filmmaker Deepak Rauniyar, 31. “If I shoot a humorous scene that won’t make me smile, how can I expect my audience to laugh?” he adds.
Rauniyar has come a long way since being the only boy in his village to pass the School Leaving Certificate exams.
A graduate in Management from Morang Campus, he is the director of the acclaimed short film “Threshold”.
The film bagged the third prize at the KIMFF (Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival) 2008, and is the first Nepali film to be screened in the short film category at the Cannes Film Festival. It was also screened in the Ahmedabad Film Festival.
Rauniyar is now preparing for the Kathmandu screening of his second film, “Pooja”, on March 19 at 5:30pm at the Kamalmani Theater of Rato Bangala School at Patan Dhoka.
Produced with financial assistance from the European Union, the film explores themes of maternal health, foreign employment, and gender. The editing has been done by filmmaker Tshering Rhitar Sherpa, sound recoding by Shirish Bikram Thapa, and the camerawork has been done by Jyoti Keshab Singh, and Ganesh Koirala. Asha Magarati is the casting director of the film, and the band Kutumba have provided the music.
The 59-minute film is narrated through the points of views of the in-laws and husband of the central character, Pooja. Its cast includes veteran actors like Mithila Sharma, and Manoj Gajurel. Ranju Jha and Prakash Ghimire from “Threshold” also have significant roles in the film. Two new actors, Aditya Gurung, and Priyansi Singh Thakuri, both grade 12 students at Kathmandu’s United Academy, have been introduced in lead roles.
“People think of films funded by development organizations as being preachy and boring. Since “Ujeli,” I don’t think any INGO-funded film has come under the notice of audiences. I hope “Pooja” will break the spell,” says Rauniyar.
The film will be screened in many places of Nepal’s 15 districts with the support of UNFPA, and local collaboration between SAC Nepal in Surkhet, SOLVE Nepal in Dhankuta, and HICODEF in Nawalparasi.
Shot in an experimental manner through improvisations of dialogues on location and extensive research, “Pooja” has already received good responses from audiences in Nawalparasi where a pre-testing was organized.
The film is inspired from real-life events and was shot in 15 days.
“During my research, I was appalled to discover the state of maternal health in our country. Superstitious practices are being followed even by health workers, and women are still abused because they don’t give birth to a son,” says Rauniyar.
He recalls the death of a woman in a village in Dharan after giving birth to twins. She already had three children, two daughters and a son. But since the son was mentally ill, her in-laws wanted her to give birth to another son, and even her husband was not disconcerted about the risk it would have on her health. She was taking care of her three children alone without the support of anyone. Her husband had flown to Kathmandu to seek foreign employment, and her in-laws were nowhere around. She died alone, two months after the birth of her twins.
“My film questions the whereabouts of the death of a mother. As dwellers of the same society, aren’t we murderers?” Rauniyar thus clarifies the premise of his film.
Audiences must wait until Friday to see if the film delivers what the director promises.
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