Then word came that the movie based on Laxmi Prasad Debkota's Muna Madan was being screened in New York, many had very low expectations. Some thought the great literary work of the Maha Kabi should not be turned into a motion picture with a low budget, while others felt it shouldn't be turned into movie at all. Surprisingly, Debkota's epic tragedy of love, separation and death has been turned into one of the best movies ever made in Nepal. The film has not yet been screened in Nepal itself, but is being shown to selected audiences in the United States. One of the most interesting reactions to the film was from the Sherpa community in New York after it was screened here recently.
When comedian Santosh Pant came up with socially insensitive and insulting 'Sherpa Ramayan' in the 1990s, he had ridiculed the community. He made fun of the way they dress (gum boots), the way they speak Nepali (heavy accents) and made fun of their occupations and habits. Among mainstream Nepalis in New York, it was a big hit, of course. But the Sherpas had felt slighted by the negative stereotyping.
When Girija Prasad Koirala had come to New York as prime minister in 2000 and addressed Nepalis at Columbia University, many in the audience quizzed him about dual citizenship. But the Sherpas bombarded him with questions on discrimination within the civil service and recounted vividly the harassment meted out to those not from the mainstream community at the airport in Kathmandu when they returned home. With so much intolerance how can a Sherpa, Tamang or Gurung feel a sense of belonging to Nepal?
But Muna Madan was a departure from the standard portrayals. When a dying Madan, left behind by his friends while returning from Tibet, a Sherpa named Chyangba (although Chyangba is Tamang, in the film he is portrayed as a Sherpa) finds Madan. At first, Madan is scared of this stranger in the jungle and frantically hides his valuables. But when Chyangba offers Madan shelter in his house, the famous song in background ('Manis thulo dila le huncha, jata le hudaina'), the theatre broke into applause. Some Nepali New Yorkers had tears streaming down their eyes.
When Madan gets ready to leave after getting better, he offers Chyangba the sack of gold he hid in the jungle. Chyangba answers with those famous lines from Debkota in Nepali that go: "Gold cannot be eaten or grown, instead send blessings for my children from your mother". Muna Madan should go some way to heal the insensitive portrayals of Nepali minorities in the past.
For those used to Kollywood, the film is restrained, not melodramatic and there aren't any of the usual embarrassing moments when you feel like cringing. The film is set in a typical Nepali village and there are few flaws (no Nike sneakers in the background) and the actors all deserve an A+. Some Nepali women felt that the way Muna and her mother were portrayed as vulnerable and weak was an insult to womanhood. But even they couldn't stop tears welling up when the movie neared its sad climax.
(Kiran Thapa in New York)
