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Director Dipendra Gauchan is set to bring his film Missing: Keti Harayeko Suchana to audiences this Friday.
Dipendra, who gained recognition 32 years ago with his film Ujeli, considers Missing: Keti Harayeko Suchana to be a challenging comeback. He is returning to the big screen after 22 years.
According to Dipendra, the origin of the story behind Missing: Keti Harayeko Suchana is quite interesting. He shares, “I teach in Cambodia, and it is natural for students to dream of becoming successful individuals. I asked them to write a story featuring two characters. They submitted their stories within two weeks, but I rejected them all because I was confident that a better story could emerge. However, the students did not come up with a new story; instead, they challenged me, saying, ‘Why don’t you write a story yourself?’”
Accepting the challenge, Dipendra wrote a story and turned it into a short film, which later won an award at a film festival.
After spending 22 years in Cambodia, Dipendra returned to Nepal with the same story. He explains, “When I arrived here, I realized that the story would fit even better in the Nepali context and become more profound. I felt that depicting a story involving both the Madhesi and hill communities would be compelling, so I wrote the screenplay.”
Dipendra mentioned that it took him nearly three months to finalize the script. The original script, written in English, was adapted into Nepali by Dipendra, Amit Pokhrel, and Amitesh Shah.
Talking about the casting process, Dipendra claims that they carefully selected actors in line with the script. He says, “We needed a character who was born and raised in Kathmandu but had minimal Madhesi tone. We found that in Nazir. On the other hand, Sristi Shrestha perfectly fit the role with her fair complexion, hill-region look, and fluent English-speaking style, which impressed me instantly.”
The film’s trailer highlights the issue of Nepali identity in the Madhes region. Dipendra states, “When portraying a Madhesi character, it’s not just about lifestyle. Even if a person is intellectually advanced, certain emotions remain deeply ingrained. The Madhes movement raised questions about identity, and every Madhesi individual carries a sense of ‘Nepalipan’ (Nepaliness). No matter how much fun they have, their stance on nationalism remains firm.”
Dipendra considers Missing: Keti Harayeko Suchana to be a female-centric film. He remarks, “Audiences will have a hard time deciding who the main character is—Ram (Nazir) or Sita (Sristi). Both have equal roles, and giving them equal importance is a way of prioritizing women. I believe that women should not be exaggerated like goddesses; instead, they should be portrayed naturally. I feel like it was destiny that brought Nazir and Sristi together for this film.”
Dipendra is also known for his previous films Ujeli and Mumin.
