Kathmandu, 16 March: Journalist Arati Mandal, who is doing radio journalism in Janakpurdham, has been making news herself for some time now. Arati, who is busy collecting news for others, has started acting with the movie ‘Rajagunj’. The movie is being released from Friday.
Arati’s role gained attention through the ‘premiere’ held in Janakpur, Chitwan and Kathmandu before the public screening. This is her first time acting in a film. Arati auditioned after learning that a female artist was being sought for the film, which is based on the story of the police’s search for the release of two kidnapped children in a border town between Nepal and India.
“I auditioned after learning that a film was being shot in Janakpur and that a Madhesi character was needed. Acting was new to me, but the group including the director selected me. After that, I prepared myself by doing some acting workshops,” said journalist Mandal. Although she had previously written the script for a play and lent her voice to some of its characters, this was her first time acting for a film. After the workshops held before shooting and mingling with the actors, it became easier for Arati to bring the character to life. As a result, moviegoers have praised her role.
“It was a new experience for me. The film shows the existence and importance of women in a male-dominated society. Women play the main role in it. Women leading in the Madhesh region, where their faces are hidden behind veils, is a big issue in itself,” said the journalist Mandal.
Along with the journalist Mandal, the film also stars female actors Asha Magarati, Richa Sharma, Gaumaya Gurung, Pashupati Rai, Nikita Chandak and Pushpa Yadav. In this film, director Deepak Rauniyar has portrayed seven female actors like the colors of the rainbow. The main story and characters of the film are these seven women.
“When I auditioned, I thought I would get the role of a journalist, but after seeing my acting, they gave me another role. In the future, if I get a role that suits me, I will act as well, and I will also take my media career forward,” said the journalist.
Nepali films are mostly centered around male characters. Whether it is the issue of remuneration or the role, men are mostly seen in the forefront. There are few films in which female actors play the leading roles. Many filmmakers believe that only female actors can make a film commercially successful. However, the film ‘Rajaganj’ revolves around female actors. Director Rauniyar has advanced the storyline through seven female characters in the film. The presence of male characters in the film is in supporting roles.
Director Rauniyar has included a scene in the film where a woman sitting in a veil is questioned by a female police officer. Where the woman is afraid to come out of the veil and speak, another woman leads the police. Actress Richa Sharma said that the subject presented in this film and the style in which women are presented are beautiful.
“I cannot express in words the experience of working on this film. It depicts society through seven women. It presents different aspects of women. We have tried to show the situation of being a female activist in Madhesh and the problems they face. It takes great courage to create a story with female actors at the center and to make a film accordingly,” said actress Sharma.
Director Rauniyar has informed that the story he had thought of almost eight years ago has been presented in the film. Actors Dayahang Rai, Vijay Baral, Ghanashyam Mishra, Parmeshwar Kumar Jha, Neeraj Shrestha and others have acted in the film. Before its public screening in Nepal, ‘Rajagunj’ has been selected and screened at international film festivals like Venice, Hamburg, Busan and Mumbai.
