Purna Bahadurko Sarangi, at first glance, may seem like a Gandharva man’s struggle to deviate his son’s career from socially recognized singer-dancer-sarangi player to an esteemed profession, a doctor. However, the protagonist is merely a character among many others, who are intertwined with the class and caste system in the Nepali society, where mobility is easy for some, whereas extremely difficult for the rest. Purna Bahadur, an illiterate man, whose life seems to be incomplete with the sarangi clung to his shoulders, is now on a mission to fight the world to uproot his son from the society that enjoys the performance of Gandharvas, but at the same time, considers them beggars.
In the early 1980s, Purna Bahadur, portrayed by the brilliant Bijay Baral, enjoys his youth and loves to play the sarangi. He even secures a marriage through the battle of songs and is overjoyed to start a new life with his beautiful wife, Batuli, portrayed by the expressive Anjana Baraili. Things start to go downhill when they have a son, Kancha. Batuli’s constant worry about her son picking up the same job changes the turn of events for everyone. She leaves under dire circumstances, whereas her son chooses to be with his father.
What intrigued me in the film immediately was the costume and make-up, because it was on point. The mis-matched patches on the torn clothes and a tailor sewing the clothes for the wealthy and mending them for the poor was a norm in Nepali society not that long ago. The detailed writing is so powerful that the audience are taken back to the times when singing the national song praising the monarchy was mandatory, education was linked to the upper-castes, land-ownership was largely in the hands of the privileged caste and social structures were so rooted in the daily lives of people that even the tunes of appraisal for the Hindu gods were not to be sung by the Gandharvas.
Adding to the intensity of the movie are the remarkable performances of the supporting cast. Bire (Mukun Bhusal) is jealous yet caring, which makes the audience develop a love-hate dynamic with his character. On the other hand, Maila (Buddhi Tamang) is a friend who always sees the positive even in the darkest of times. The most despisable character is the teacher (Bhola Raj Sapkota), who plays the typical wannabe progressive, but enjoys the privilege of the hierarchical division. The innocent face but curious eyes of the child artist Swayam KC, who plays the pivotal character of Kanchha/Kamal, ultimately connects the viewers to him. Deshbhakta Khanal, who plays the character of the protagonist’s father is a well-rounded performer. He comes to the screen for a short time but executes remarkably. Prakash Saput, who portrays the elder Kamal, has a sincere dialogue delivery and emotes the scenes astonishingly. However, for a brief part where the character is still a teenager, it is difficult to presume that he is a 16-year-old.
The music and lyrics in the movie are absolute gems, and they have done justice to the screenplay. Prashant Siwakoti rises as an absolute star because his dedication to understand and direct Gandharva music without losing its authenticity is extraordinary. From the flirtatious ‘Raiya Chadiko’ to the soul-wrenching ‘Kadhekuri’, it is impossible to imagine the film without its songs. Also, the diction, body language and slang adapted in the movie play an important role in the performances. The cinematographer, Shivaram Shrestha has used his lens of camera in such a manner that his understanding of social issues blurs the presence of any devices in between the artists and the audience.
The movie vocalizes the pain of the minorities and advocates equal opportunities, despite the family one is born into.
Purna Bahadurko Sarangai is an excellent movie with outstanding performances. It is a result of dedicated teamwork of equally devoted individuals who care for society and culture. The movie vocalizes the pain of the minorities and advocates equal opportunities, despite the family one is born into. Saroj Poudel has taken the challenge to write a story about prejudices around us and the revolutionary road taken by a father. Mahesh Dawadi’s screenplay and dialogues are prominent and sharp. Both Poudel and Dawadi are undoubtedly terrific storytellers. However, it is surprising that writers of such great caliber chose to portray a significant part of Nepali modern history in the negative light. The revolution not only gave us the freedom to speak about the issues in our society, but also made education more viable to the nooks and corners of our country.
Saroj Poudel emerges as a well-balanced director and the movie has been crafted purposefully to tell Nepali stories for the Nepali audience. There are some instances, nonetheless, that could have been enhanced. At times, the dialogues seem quite monotonous, and the scenes could be shorter. The lengthy scenes were unnecessarily dramatic.
Overall, the film is an amalgamation of fresh performances, a unique story, captivating music, and a balanced direction. In the times that we are living in, it is important to understand that ‘the personal is political’, a slogan from the late 1960s. Every story matters, and effective storytelling is necessary to understand oppression around us. Thus, the film is representative of the minority groups who live next to us, and it is in our hands to speak about them, and advocate for them through means that are feasible to us.
(Nabina Adhikari is a movie enthusiast and is interested in social and political issues.)
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