The movie sets against the backdrop of its prequel Prasad which had already set up a conclusion amidst its conflict. It looked like producers wanted to cash the already famed name, so created another conflict from the point where it finished, a trendsetter in Nepali movies.
The quick-witted script and direction give this movie a whole new spin with
Dalit politico’s affiliation for revolutionary changes, along with caste-based discrimination, inter-caste marriage as major conflicts within a hiatus of a decade. The story sets up at a steady pace as character development for its premiers was not needed and also the minor character’s role has not been overlooked.
The movie picks up from where it left off, central characters raising the child born from rape, which they gleefully accepted as a blessing from God, which also helped to hide the impotency of Baburam played by Bipin Karki. His love proliferated with time towards his better half Narayani portrayed by Keki Adhikari. Both the couple performed their roles beautifully where the latter can be praised more as she was substituted cast from the earlier character. The same goes for antagonist Arpan Thapa who did his assigned part of Ramesh meticulously. The titular child artist showed potential as looked to pay heed to instructions given by the director in some of the intense scenes as per the plot.
The cinematography looks good as the settings were able to showcase the lifestyle of different caste living in a confined place. Also, portrayal of hierarchy of sub-castes within Dalits is showcased in a creative manner to prove the discrepancy for a strong moral. The embedded revolutionary song, ‘Kranti’ sets the tone for plot movement and portrays the preparation for the election in a convincing manner. The preparations done to trounce the candidate of established parties are well portrayed within the song. Dialogues are precise, and the use of tone and lingo from Baglung sounded convincing.
The plot moves into the context of political chicanery to win the favor of local elections by hook and crook to set the tone of the story and revolutionary mindset garnered by Dalits whose freedom hinges on revolutionary reform. Mythological references like Krishna and Kansha could have been replaced with something different to give a plausible connection. What it did was made the ending very predictable, easy to guess how the villain would be reprimanded for his deception.
Many positive facets win over the drawbacks though they cannot be denied. The character of Ramesh, the antagonist is portrayed way differently than its prequel with his mismatched personality traits. Had the writers mulled over this, they could have still pulled something out of the bag, even without killing the theme. Some of the references and scenes can be challenged due to misinterpretation of the law which was used as per the convenience of the plot. The polyandry reference for Narayani which sets off the climax was used at one’s convenience. Had the case been true, then Prakash should also have been charged with polygamy, as per the reference from the prequel. If these aspects are overlooked then also, the case of marital rape could also be attracted. More legal scrutiny could have been done to reassess their mistakes for coming projects.
The storytelling could have been better as the plot looked predictable with the unfolding situations. The flow is good in both halves arousing curiosity, but the cliché ending killed it all.
The plot seems a little away from conflict, despite having the knowledge of law and order, the police interventions in serious cases are not acknowledged. They are replaced by an orthodox judicial system which has already been abolished. The question can be raised, why the revolutionary politico will accept all those public hearings, being a trailblazer himself?
On the one hand, paternal love towards the daughter is shown in a natural way, which glorifies the conflict, eventually setting a tone for a happy and predictable conclusion. On the other hand, the dispute fails to add validity where Narayani doubts her husband just by an undue statement from the offender with a shoddy past— amiss from the prequel in terms of character development.
The movie has not only talked about revolution, politics and caste-based discrimination—the common theme in Nepali movies—but also the very sensational issues about giving a name to a child born from rape. Despite various drawbacks, the movie has been able to set various narratives on the aforementioned issues making it a good watch from any genre of audiences anticipating radical social transformation.
Mahendra P Joshi, author of novels Rockin’ Rollin’ Rolpa and Foolproof, has a diploma in Cinematic arts from Highland Lakes University, MI, USA.
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