Homosexuality on the big screen in Nepal

Snow Flowers

Sharir, or Body, directed and written by Abhinash Bikram Shah, tells the story of Suman and Chahana, who are separated when the latter is raped and murdered on the streets of Kathmandu. The story focuses on Suman's suffering after losing her partner, as the film takes the audience through their love in flashbacks.

“You could call it the first Nepali film based on a lesbian theme,” Shah said. “But when I writing the script, I was telling a love story. “I decided to make it a story about two women because it was a subject not explored by others and I wanted to explore something new.” 

Nepal is slowly becoming more accepting of homosexuals since the highest court directed the government to ensure their rights three years ago. However, the majority Hindu population is still conservative about issues like homosexuality and transgender people, which have long been hushed topics in the country. “When I was working on the film, I was scared that people would not relate to it,” Shah said. “But the audience liked it, and I think it is because it is a portrayal of contemporary Nepal.” The audience of mostly young people watched the intimate scenes between Suman and Chahana in silence. Suman drowns her sorrows in alcohol and tobacco after her lover's death, driven toward self-destruction. “You love a person, a book, a dog and it hurts when you lose what you love,” said Pooja Gurung, who plays Suman. “The love is the same regardless of whom it is directed at and that's what the film shows.” 

Members of the Blue Diamond Society, a group for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT), made up much of the audience Tuesday. “Nepal is undergoing social change regarding the rights of LGBT people,” said Sunil Babu Pant, president of the society and the country's first openly gay lawmaker. “The film is a reflection of it as there's growing awareness about people's sexual orientation.” Pant has been calling for many of the LGBT community's demands to be enshrined in the country's new constitution, including the right to gay marriage. 

The film Sharir was well received, but is likely to reach only a niche audience. 

In January 2012, Nepal is set to screen its first widely released gay feature film, Snow Flowers, also based on the love between two women at odds with society's values. According to Pant, the films mark a change for lesbian, gay and transgender characters, who only had comic roles in the past. “Now they have substantial, weighty films devoted to this subject. It is very encouraging for us.” And Shah says that's exactly what he has tried to achieve: to show the characters as human and not portray them as “something loud.” But filmmakers have only begun testing the waters, and do not know what the reaction will be among a wider audience.

... ... ... nepalawaz