Jhola

The film begins when an old man called
Ghanashyam (Sujal Nepal)
leaves his bag for a night at the writer's home. Suspicious, the writer checks
the contents of the bag only to find an old manuscript which contains 11 short
stories. As Dharabasi starts reading, he is transported to Nepal of the
18th century. We are introduced to a young Ghanashyam who lives with his mother
Kanchhi (Garima Panta) and his ailing father (Deepak Chhetri). After her
husband passes away, Kanchhi's life becomes a nightmare. Expected to sacrifice
herself on the funeral pyre, Kanchhi enters almost a daze like state and goes
from being a strong-willed, loving mother to a helpless widow. As she prepares
herself for the ceremony and Ghanashyam comes to terms with being orphaned, the
anguish of both mother and son becomes palpable on screen. While expertly
depicting the pain of the protagonists, director Yadav Kumar Bhattarai also
explores the tender relationship between a mother and a son. Perhaps the best
two lines in the movie are delivered by the sister-in-law who sums up the
audiences' thoughts when she says: "Why is it that only a woman has to
sacrifice her life when a man dies, why can't he do the same ... And why is it
acceptable for a man to marry for the second time" Although the Sati
system was abolished decades ago, Jhola is still relevant to today's Nepal
where, unfortunately, cases of sexual harassment, violence against women,
trafficking remain all too common.
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