Two teenage girls separated by caste system fight against their society to play their favorite instrument SANAI forbidden to play by women while also keeping their friendship alive.
Though Caste based discrimination and untouchability is punishable by law, and severely condemned, as of today discrimination and violent crimes very much exists across Nepal. I witnessed very little of it while growing up in my little cocoon that was the capital city, Kathmandu. When I got married and visited my partner’s hometown, I was horrified when my mother-in-law sprinkled some ‘gold water’ on me to ‘purify me’ upon discovering that I had tea at a certain ‘untouchable’ person’s home. I confronted her out of shock, which turned into a heated discussion. I recall her saying ‘Even if we don’t care, the society will, and they won’t let us breathe’. I couldn’t fathom how something that is a crime, is culturally still very much the norm.
Though witnessing bigotry of this kind was new, “what will people say” was familiar. I had grown up with it all my life, especially in my early teens. As a curious teenager, discovering my identity and sexuality, I was forbidden to love freely, and I succumbed to it. For the longest time, I felt like a coward not being able to be my true self, which has festered into severe anxiety. Even though I didn’t have the vocabulary or courage to fight for Rupa or for myself then, I can no try through my art. When I look at Maya in the story, I envy her, and I wish I was as brave as her.
Any relationship, whether it be friendship or love, should be allowed to blossom organically in its purest form, without caste, gender, class and oppressions of society determining the course it should take. People should be able to love and grow with whoever they want without any system blocking the road. Growing up as a woman artist in a patriarchal society like Nepal, I’ve faced all kinds of roadblocks and experienced a series of outrage. Often merely existing is considered a threat. I wanted my debut film to accommodate all of these experiences, through a story that would feel universal.
We try to breathe through art, theatre, or films the lives that wish to live in reality. If we don’t find one, we are driven to create one so we can finally set ourselves free.