Venice 81 (2024): ‘Pooja, Sir’ world premiere – director Deepak Rauniyar and lead Asha Magrati talk racism, sexism and descrimination… (video)

Watch the video – more below…

FILMMAKER Deepak Rauniyar is one of Nepal’s leading filmmakers and works closely with his wife actor Asha Magrati.
Their film ‘Pooja, Sir‘ was received rapturously in Venice; and represents a major triumph of the human spirit.
Magrati was diagnosed with cancer – completely disrupting the timeline for production, as Rauniyar has talked about elsewhere.
In this interview, Magrati says the diagnosis and continuing recovery have inspired her in the making of this film.
Centred around a police officer, Inspector Pooja. It is a procedural drama – with the investigation of the kidnap of two boys – one from an influential family –  at the heart of the story. Amidst the furore, there is also much ethnic tension between people from the plains – the Madheshi and – those from the hills in the tiny Himalayan nation, living the shadow of the giant India. ‘Pooja Sir’ is set in 2015 when these tensions came to the fore.
Many of the Madheshi community share culture and characteristics from those around the region who live in India.
There is also colour discrimination – those from the plains tend to be darker, while those living higher up are fairer.
Rauniyar tells our interviewer Tatiana Rosenstein that this film is about the racism that exists between these two groups.
Inspector Pooja also happens to be queer and Magrati says her character is based on real police officers. The film had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on August 29.
Rauniyar also talks about a forthcoming project about UK based chef Santosh Shah (though in in interview he is not explicitly named) who has established himself as one the country’s leading 
culinary talents. He first came to prominence in the Masterchefs Professional – finishing runner up in 2020. Entering again the following year, in The Professionals Rematch, he won. Rauniyar says the story is inspirational and the US-based filmmaker is readying to make this film – as the interview again reveals.