When Dipendra Gauchan cast Brinda Adhikari in the award-winning docu-drama Ujeli nine years ago, the eight-year-old girl had no idea what was awaiting her. Ujeli was broadcast on more than 20 television channels all over the world, and with it, Brinda also became well-known. Today, she is preparing to take her School Leaving Certificate exams and wants to study science if she does well.

But life after Ujeli wasn't easy. Rasuwa's traditional society wasn't willing to rest easy about the fact that such a young girl had played the role of a married woman. "The people in our village didn't understand then that this was a film, a story, and I was really hassled," she says. A local newspaper took up Brinda's cause in 1996 and a group of people petitioned the SOS Hermann School to provide her free education. Although the school only took in orphans under six years, Brinda's was an exception and the school consented.

The school expected a lot from Brinda, but the trauma of her early fame, and the often unfriendly attention of her village had left its mark on the young girl, and she turned inward, shunning the leadership role the school would have liked her to take. Says Shankarprasad Poudel, principal of the SOS Hermann's School, "Perhaps due to the psychological impact of the whole episode, she only adjusted two or three years later. But now she takes part in the different school activities, even plays and other theatrical productions. We are convinced that she has outstanding talent, and if she gets the opportunity she can do very well."

Brinda is the youngest daughter of Chintamani Adhikari, a farmer from Betini in Rasuwa district. She actively took part in cultural activities in her village as a child, and even won several prizes. How she landed her star role in Ujeli is an interesting story. When the film unit showed up in Brinda's classroom and asked after the most talented child, the teacher pointed to Brinda. No one at home knew about it. "They only found out after almost half the shooting was complete. But no one said anything, they all liked it," smiles Brinda. She has fond memories of the time, despite the difficulties that followed.

Today Brinda lives in the SOS Children's Village, only going home over Dasain. And she still loves to act. She also wants to learn dance, but hasn't had the chance. Always up for a good story, Brinda loves reading Nepali and English novels, as well as watching Nepali and Hindi films, and the news and other world events on television. The school is willing to help fund acting lessons for Brinda if she decides she wants them, and can handle the pressure. "She is national property, and everyone should support her. We too will help her," says principal Poudel. Today when Brinda goes back home, the villagers treat her with respect, a far cry from their earlier jibes.