Since last one decade, Madheshi characters have been prominently featured in Nepali films. However, the intention of most of the directors was to portray them in humorous roles. For a long time, Nepali films have been dominated by the false psychology that the Madheshi characters are cast for merely comic relief.
Some directors even portrayed Madhesh as a hub of crime, or depicting Madheshi characters as barbers, cobblers, shopkeepers, goons, cheats, and helpless individuals. However, a film that truly captures the soul, essence, and beauty of Madhesh had always been ‘missing’. It seems that a film currently being screened, Keti Harayeko Suchana (A Missing Girl Notice), fulfills that void.
Returning to Nepali cinema after 22 years, director Dipendra Gauchan attempts to bridge the mountains and Tarai-Madhesh through this film. The story revolves around two characters over the span of two days. Essentially, it is a minimalist cinema- a style occasionally experimented with in Nepali films. The film doesn’t feature a large cast or a series of events and intense conflicts. Yet, through a simple incident between two characters, director Gauchan skillfully raises significant issues related to Madhesh.
In the film, a hill-origin girl, Sita (Jessie), and a Madheshi boy, Ram (Rambo), meet at a restaurant through a dating app. Circumstances lead Sita to drink coffee laced with sleeping pills that Ram had been carrying. She falls unconscious and is taken to Janakpur by Ram. The story unfolds with a relationship and blossoming love between them from different backgrounds.
If you’re not fond of minimalist cinema, the storytelling might feel like a documentary. However, some of the most beautiful films worldwide are based on this principle - be it Nomadland, the winner of the 93rd Academy Awards directed by Chloé Zhao, or Louis Malle’s My Dinner with Andre. Nomadland narrated the journey of a 60-year-old woman traveling after losing her husband and home, while My Dinner with Andre was about a dinner conversation between two people.
Similarly, Twelve Angry Men, directed by the legendary Sidney Lumet, is yet another masterpiece of minimalist cinema, where 12 jury members debate the verdict of a case in a single room.
Renowned Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami also preferred this style, as seen in his film 'Taste of Cherry', which revolved around a man searching for someone to bury him after his suicide.
Minimalism doesn’t require grand events and extravagant sets, a large cast, or big budgets. Life continues even in ordinary events, and a simple life can also tell a story. And director Gauchan attempts to convey this story of life through Ram and Sita in the digital age.
Unlike the timid and submissive Sita of the Ramayana, this film portrays Sita as bold and rebellious character. Interestingly, the kidnapper, Ram, eventually becomes the captive.
The film’s first half is quite slow, and it takes time for the story to flow. But, the second half is unexpected. When Sita transitions herself from urban attire to rural kurtas, the narrative also shifts. At first glance, the film might seem like a simple story of two characters’ relationship, but on a deeper level, it explores the connection between Madhesh and the hills.
You might remember Nazir Hussain as Rameshwar Yadav from Hostel Returns! Even though his character was Madheshi, it was often depicted more in a comical light. But in this film, Nazir isn’t portrayed as a caricature. Unlike his earlier role of a naive ‘hillbilly’ with a Shiva idol in hand and a red tika on his forehead, Nazir here speaks both Maithili and Nepali fluently. There’s no intention from the director to misrepresent his Nepali accent for humor.
The film’s first half is quite slow, and it takes time for the story to flow. But, the second half is unexpected. When Sita transitions herself from urban attire to rural kurtas, the narrative also shifts. At first glance, the film might seem like a simple story of two characters’ relationship, but on a deeper level, it explores the connection between Madhesh and the hills.
Superficially, it appears as if Ram is showcasing the art, culture, and beauty of Madhesh to hill-origin Sita. But on a deeper level, the director seems to be introducing the hills to Madhesh, saying, “This is our Madhesh, and this is its beauty.”
The film beautifully portrays Janakpur, Madhesh’s ponds, mango groves, Mithila art, Holi, and haystacks. It could also aid the Madhesh provincial government’s campaign, ‘Explore Madhesh, Understand Madhesh,’ currently campaigned in Pokhara.
As Madhesh was deprived of recognition, access, and representation, it witnessed two movements following the 2006 People’s Movement. The first Madhesh movement was so intense that some hill-origin residents were forced to leave their birthplace. The director has also delicately woven this incident into the film. The mansion where Ram takes Sita after kidnapping her belongs to a hill-origin family forced to leave during the Madhesh movement. Ram’s family inherits this house due to the bond between his father and the original owner. The director symbolically connects the relationship between a Madheshi boy and a hill-origin girl through this house.
A heated debate about the Madhesh movement between Ram and Sita is one of the film’s powerful scenes. Here, the director attempts to address the mindset of viewing Madheshis as Indians. Ram tries to explain that the Madhesh movement was due to the state’s failure to address the Madhesh. When Sita disagrees, Ram responds, “Don’t people in the hills think we Madheshis are Indians?”
“I’m just as Nepali as you are, got it? And I don’t call people in the hills with small eyes ‘Chinese,’ do I?” Ram elaborates.
Both Nazir and Srishti deliver heartfelt performances in the film. Their romantic conversation on a haystack is another beautiful moment.
However, the film isn’t without flaws. Sita’s brother is a police officer, yet he struggles to search for his kidnapped sister, even though her phone remains on throughout. Being a story set in the digital age, it’s surprising that the director overlooked Nepal Police’s ability to track locations via mobile phones.
The climax also feels unnecessarily stretched. The director seems adamant about delivering a ‘happy ending,’ which makes the jail scene feel redundant.
It’s often said that good intentions can overshadow flaws. And the story connecting Madhesh and the hills is commendable, making these shortcomings forgivable. Perhaps Madhesh and Madheshi characters have never been portrayed so beautifully and naturally in Nepali cinema before. For this, director Gauchan deserves applause.
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