Gender is political: Tribeny Rai’s ‘The Shape of Momo’ is headed for Busan

It’s the pauses and silences that echo the loudest in the film. Each frame is unhurried, and a certain rhythm envelops the multiple themes that come through — not with thuds but yes, with delicate explosions. From identity, personal freedom, gender discrimination, and migration to presenting female characters as complex individuals and not just victims of patriarchy, Sikkimese filmmaker Tribeny Rai’s Nepalese-language film ‘Shape of Momo’ emerged from what she calls an inner necessity. It will have its world premiere at the prestigious Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, followed by its European premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain.

A diploma holder in direction and screenwriting from the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in Kolkata, this 34-year-old filmmaker, returning to her village in Sikkim after film school, found herself caught between her own expectations and those of the people around her.

“I began to notice how such pressures quietly shape our lives. I knew many others were going through the same experience. The thought stayed with me for a long time, and about two years ago, Kislay, the co-writer, and I began writing ‘Shape of Momo’ together,” she tells.

The film, among other things, is about Bishnu, who returns to her Himalayan village after quitting her job, only to face mounting family pressures and heightened societal expectations. As tensions rise with her pregnant sister’s arrival and a budding relationship with a ‘suitable’ boy from her community, she must choose between conforming to tradition or claiming her independence.

While the movie draws from Rai’s personal experiences and observations of identity, freedom and tradition through a multi-generational female family, it aims to address the conflict between women’s personal ambitions and societal expectations.

The filmmaker insists that gender discrimination is systemic and socially embedded, and by paying close attention to small, everyday details, they could show these dynamics naturally. “And in doing so, personal moments revealed larger social realities. When you remain truthful to your own existence, you begin to hear the echoes of many others,” she adds.

It is almost a relief that ‘Shape of Momo’ stays miles away from the ‘mountain utopia’ cliches. “Stories from the mountains and villages are often portrayed through stereotypical lenses of exoticism or simplicity. I aimed to change this narrative and tell our story with honesty and depth,” Rai says.

Of course, growing up in Sikkim with three sisters did have a profound influence on the film. The filmmaker says that being part of a household of women made her deeply aware of both the strengths and the pressures they live with. “There was a significant gender disparity growing up, and it is still not a thing of the past. Sometimes, it is right in front of you, and other times it is subtly woven into everyday expectations and roles,” she stresses.

However, Kislay, one of the producers of the film, adds, “The film may come from her own personal family experience, but rather than being nostalgic or self-pitying, she has an inward critical gaze. She can be both sympathetic and critical of the characters at the same time.”

Even as the people in her village, where the movie was shot, are overjoyed with the news of it getting selected at major prestigious festivals, Rai feels the film had to be made in the Nepalese language, spoken widely in Sikkim. “It is my mother tongue, a language through which I experience the world most intimately. Not making it in Nepali was never even an option,” she asserts.

Ruing that finding support for independent films is always tough — more so for a Nepali-language film — she opines that the market is driven by many factors and the films that succeed at the box office are often more spectacle than cinema. “And after the pandemic, when the industry was already struggling, securing support for our film became especially challenging.”

And yes, she is quite excited about the independent cinema emerging from the Northeast and North Bengal and feels that filmmakers from this region are beginning to put a spotlight on their own worlds. “There is a growing awareness, and more filmmakers are committed to bringing these underrepresented narratives to the screen,” says Rai, who has also made five short films and a documentary series for Doordarshan.

As the conversation veers towards dedicated support structures for independent filmmakers in Europe, Rai says that such structures there allow artists to take risks, explore personal stories and develop their voice without being entirely dependent on the commercial market.

“In India, independent cinema is growing, but the structures for mentorship, funding, and distribution are still limited, sadly,” concludes the filmmaker, who feels being immersed in literature from an early age has shown her that the smallest gestures and the quietest observations can carry entire worlds…

— The writer is a Chandigarh-based freelancer