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The plot of the malnourished child shown in the movie Laaj Sharanam had made the viewers emotional. The child, Development KC, portrayed in that plot, passed away at the age of 15 during treatment for malnutrition.
One of the producers and artists of the film, Kedar Ghimire (Pande), shared this information via his Facebook. In a post with an image from Laaj Sharanam, he informed that KC passed away during treatment for malnutrition and expressed deep sorrow over his death.
In his post, he mentioned that despite all possible efforts to save KC’s life, medical intervention was not possible, and Kanti Children’s Hospital had referred him back, stating that treatment was not feasible.
“The character of a malnourished child in Laaj Sharanam was based on Development KC, who was also suffering from malnutrition in real life. After analyzing human emotions, personal and family desires, and the negative impacts this could have, we decided to include him in the film. In accordance with our commitment to help with his treatment and family, we immediately brought him to Green City Hospital after shooting. Green City Hospital referred him to Kanti Children’s Hospital, but Kanti Children’s Hospital sent him back, stating that the treatment for severe malnutrition was not possible,” Ghimire wrote on Facebook.
Ghimire, who expressed sorrow over the death, made a commitment on Facebook stating that the art community would continue to take responsibility to eliminate malnutrition from Nepal.
Here is the Facebook post by Ghimire:
Malnutrition is still causing children to lose their lives in Nepal. We offer heartfelt condolences to the family of Development KC and pay tribute to him.
The character of a malnourished child in Laaj Sharanam was based on Development KC, who was also suffering from malnutrition in real life. After analyzing human emotions, personal and family desires, and the negative impacts this could have, we decided to include him in the film. In accordance with our commitment to help with his treatment and family, we immediately brought him to Green City Hospital after shooting. Green City Hospital referred him to Kanti Children’s Hospital, but Kanti Children’s Hospital sent him back, stating that the treatment for severe malnutrition was not possible.
During the shooting, we provided him with food, clothes, and a mobile for communication to ease his and his family’s situation. The coordination for bringing him to the hospital and fulfilling family obligations was made possible through the facilitation of lyricist and musician Basanta Udas. However, we can only imagine how many children are suffering and dying silently, unnoticed by us.
The purpose of mentioning this is not to glorify the help we provided, but rather to bring attention to this urgent issue related to the harsh reality of Karnali’s people.
Born on 1st of Sawan, 2066 B.S., Development KC passed away on the 19th of Chaitra, 2081 B.S. due to malnutrition. The news of his death has deeply saddened the film community. During this sorrowful time, we wish for the eternal peace of his soul and express heartfelt condolences to his grieving family. He will remain an unforgettable name in the history of Nepali cinema.
Child mortality remains a serious challenge for the Nepal government. Even today, due to the lack of nutritious food and essential micronutrients, children are losing their lives to malnutrition, which is a serious indicator of Nepal’s human development index. We hope that such painful news is never written or heard again in the future. We expect the government and relevant authorities to give deep attention to this issue.
We bow down and will always remain grateful to the people of Karnali, the entire community of Development KC’s village, and his family for their cooperation in highlighting the suffering of Karnali through cinema.
We will continue to fulfill our responsibility in the art community to eliminate malnutrition from Nepal.
