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The film Agnidahan, set to release this Friday, was created with the purpose of eradicating the practice of witchcraft accusations, according to its presenter and conceptualizer, Kovidsharan Upadhyaya.
“We made this film to convey the message that witches do not exist. Incidents of women being abused in the name of witchcraft still come to light from time to time. Through this film, we aim to send a strong message that witches are not real and that no woman should be mistreated under such accusations,” Upadhyaya said during an interaction with journalists on Monday.
The film is based on the novel Agnidahan by writer and journalist Lokmani Paudel.
Similarly, actress Pramila Tulachan, who portrays the character of Maile Damini—a woman accused of being a witch—revealed that she visited slum areas to study her role.
“The character I played was quite challenging. The way society treats poor, destitute women, the abuse single women endure, and the stigma placed on helpless women inspired me to bring this character to life on screen,” Tulachan explained.
Another actress, Tulasi Kshetri, shared that women accused of witchcraft often endure unbearable torture at the hands of shamans.
“There is a scene in the film where I am branded with hot iron by a shaman. Even the day after shooting that scene, I had real wounds on my body. I can only imagine the immense pain real women must have felt when tortured like that,” she said.
Director Ghanshyam Lamichhane emphasized that this film was not made for commercial gain.
“We created this film to spread the belief nationwide that no person is a witch and to turn this message into a movement,” he stated.
The film stars Prakash Ghimire, Pramila Tulachan, Mao Tse Gurung, Anupama Bhandari, Tulasi Kshetri, Bishnu Bastola, and Tara Bahadur Gurung.
The story, screenplay, and dialogue are by Lokmani Paudel, with Kovidsharan Upadhyaya as the conceptualizer, Parichhed Sen as the assistant director, Dirgha Gurung as the cinematographer, Dirgha Khadka handling the editing, and Shankar Pandey in charge of production design.
Agnidahan was showcased in India at the SSB’s 20th Battalion headquarters in Sitamarhi, Bihar, in the presence of Battalion Chief Girish Chandra Pandey and the film’s production team.
Former President of Nepal Bidhya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal have already watched this film. Additionally, the Nepal Film Development Board awarded it the “Special Film Award.”
