A journey of resilience: The making of ‘Pooja, Sir’
An unexpected twist in the tale
When Nepali filmmaker Deepak Rauniyar and actor Asha Magrati embarked on their latest cinematic venture, “Pooja, Sir”, in 2022, they couldn’t have foreseen the life-altering challenges that lay ahead. What began as a routine trip to New York quickly turned into a harrowing ordeal when Magrati, Rauniyar’s wife and frequent collaborator, experienced a troubling throat swelling. This seemingly minor health issue soon spiraled into a series of cancer diagnoses, threatening not only the film but also Magrati’s life.
A race against time
Despite the looming health crisis, the couple attended the Frontieres film market in Montreal to promote another project. However, upon returning to North Carolina, where Rauniyar was teaching, they found themselves in a desperate race to secure medical care. “It was hard to get doctors because it didn’t feel urgent for them,” Rauniyar recalls. The urgency of their situation was compounded by the fact that their film crew was ready to fly to Nepal for the shoot.
The first diagnosis came on August 29, 2022—Rauniyar’s birthday. Within a week, they received another diagnosis, and eventually, Magrati was diagnosed with three types of cancer. This forced the production to shut down indefinitely. Their investor vanished, grants were lost, and the couple relocated to New York for nearly a year of treatment.
A glimmer of hope
By April 2023, as Magrati’s treatment was concluding, the couple faced a critical decision. “I personally didn’t want to come back home and just think about what we went through,” Rauniyar admits. The challenge was not only emotional but also financial. They needed to find a way to fund the film and ensure Magrati could still play her role.
Support came from unexpected quarters. Friends, including their physician, offered initial funding. A Nepali production company, Baasuri Films, provided local support. Their director of photography, Sheldon Chau, bought camera equipment and postponed payment. Actors and crew members joined, often working for reduced rates or deferring payment.
The power of community
Modest financial contributions snowballed, enabling the production to consider shooting. The Norwegian Film Institute’s Sorfond, Torino Film Lab, and the Berlinale World Cinema Fund also came on board, providing much-needed funds.
“Pooja, Sir”, written by Rauniyar, David Barker, and Magrati, delves into the caste system endemic to South Asia, with a focus on skin color. The film follows Pooja, a light-skinned Nepali police officer who becomes the first female detective in the country. Amidst protests against systemic discrimination, two light-skinned boys are kidnapped, and Pooja has only 48 hours to save them. She seeks help from Mamata, a dark-skinned Madhesi policewoman, highlighting the complexities of caste and color.
A personal struggle
For Magrati, the physical toll of cancer treatment was compounded by the emotional weight of feeling unprepared for a role she had been developing for eight years. “I couldn’t prepare as much as I wanted, and I couldn’t do the physical police kinds of exercise,” she explains. The side effects of her ongoing hormone therapy added to the challenges during the shoot.
Despite these hurdles, Magrati’s determination never wavered. “She didn’t think twice; she said yes,” Rauniyar says of her decision to go to Nepal for the shoot. Filming in the Madhesh Province of Nepal in July, with temperatures reaching 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit), presented its own set of challenges. Yet, the experience of making “Pooja, Sir” took on new meaning in light of their personal struggles.
A story of empathy and relevance
The film’s central character, Pooja, a queer police officer in Nepal, is inspired by real-life encounters during their research. “Talking about queer characters in the police force is very rare from our part of the world,” Rauniyar says. The film aims to provoke conversations about race and queerness, topics that are increasingly relevant globally.
“This is our story, our life story,” Magrati adds. “Whenever we go outside, the other light-skinned people talk about him [Rauniyar] so badly, they treat him badly. It really hurts me. This urgent story needs to be told.”
Looking ahead
As “Pooja, Sir” prepares for its world premiere in the Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival, Rauniyar and Magrati are already looking ahead to future projects. They’re developing a horror film set in New York and another feature based on the true story of a Nepali immigrant in the U.K.
For now, their focus is on sharing “Pooja, Sir” with the world. The film has already sold to a few territories, and the couple is eager to see how audiences will respond to their labor of love.
Watch the trailer for Pooja, Sir and immerse yourself in a story of resilience, empathy, and the fight against systemic discrimination.