‘Lalibazaar’ Enters Second Week, Swastima and Prashansa Featured in New Poster

Kathmandu. The film ‘Lalibazaar’, which was released across Nepal on May 08, has entered its second week starting today. Based on a story of a mother and daughter against the backdrop of the Badi community, the film has received strong word-of-mouth from the audience. For this reason, the film has secured a higher number of shows and attracted more viewers compared to its first week. The film has gained support from audiences in Kathmandu as well as outside the valley.

The newly released poster of the film features actress Swastima Khadka and debutante actress Prashansa Subedi. In the film, these two portray the roles of mother and daughter. The scene shown in the poster is used at a significant point in the film, where audiences in theaters have been seen clapping and whistling. The poster clarifies the fact that a mother can fight any battle to protect her child.

Activists from the Badi community have praised the film, calling it a touching story of a mother and daughter. In Surkhet’s Laxmi Chalachitra Mandir, more than 150 viewers from the Badi community watched the film. Hiralal Badi, known as an activist for the Badi community, along with Kumar Badi, Dolma Badi, Sapana Badi, and others, praised the film and thanked the team present.

Sapana Badi stated that the light of education in the film has inspired the community to change their situation and raise their voices against oppressors. She said, "The film exposes the exploitation we faced from the rulers. The struggle a mother undergoes for her child against the state, rulers, and society has inspired us. This film is a must-watch for the women of our community."

She thanked the film production team and mentioned that she would show the film to the women of her community. Earlier, activists like Devisara Badi, Hikmat Badi, Rama Badi, and Esther Badi had already watched and praised the film. As part of the promotional tour that started in Surkhet, a team consisting of actress Swastima Khadka, actor Rabindra Singh Baniya, director Yam Thapa, and executive producer Pradeep Bhattarai has returned to Kathmandu after interacting with audiences in Nepalgunj and Butwal.

The team plans to interact with audiences in theaters within the Kathmandu Valley this weekend before returning to their tour outside the valley. Actress Swastima Khadka expressed her excitement over the love received from the Badi community during the tour. "Those whose stories and pain we have portrayed thanked us after watching the film. The audience has understood the work we did and the message we wanted to convey through the film; this itself is our success. We are eager to interact with audiences across Nepal and get their feedback."

The work of debut actor Bishal Devkota and debut actress Prashansa Subedi is being highly praised in the film. Audiences leaving the theaters have greatly appreciated the performances of both. Producer Max Dipesh Khatri stated that the number of shows has increased in the second week compared to the first day.

"We are in theaters with an even higher number of shows in the second week. We don't have words to thank the love the audience has given us. We see satisfaction in the viewers as they return, matching the trust they had when they came to watch the film. This is our success," said Producer Khatri.

He mentioned that those who came to the hall as families were seen leaving in tears as the film ended. Audiences have given feedback that the film has increased the importance of a mother and the responsibility toward a daughter. Audience feedback suggests that the theme of a single mother struggling to educate her daughter made it impossible to hold back tears.

‘Lalibazaar’ director and writer Yam Thapa said that any speculations made about the film would be cleared after watching it. He stated that the film can be enjoyed comfortably with the whole family. The film stars Swastima Khadka, Rabindra Singh Baniya, Samaira Thapa, Mukunda Kumar Shrestha, Abhay Baral, Prem Pandey, Pradeep Dhakal, Asha Paudel, Govinda Sunar, Abha Aryal, Tara Sharma, Ramesh Wadi, Saraswati Adhikari, Janaki Kadayat, Nishchal Panthi, and Birbal Chaudhary, among others.

Bishal Devkota and Prashansa Subedi make their debut through this film. Bishal is a theater actor and director, while Prashansa is known as a Gen-Z activist. The screenplay and dialogues of ‘Lalibazaar’, based on a story by director Yam Thapa, were jointly prepared by director Thapa and Pradeep Bhattarai. Pradeep Bhattarai is the executive producer, while Max Dipesh Khatri and Rabindra Singh Baniya are the producers.

The film features contributions from creative director JB Ruwali, conflict director Samrat Basnet, director of photography Sushan Prajapati, editor Mitradev Gurung, production head Rupak Pratap Adhikari, colorist Renish Phago, VFX by Samir Shrestha and Satyam Rana, background music and mixing by Rohit Shakya and Shailesh Shrestha, art director Umesh Chaudhary, publicity designer Royal Bhimsen (Trident), media coordinator CP Jaisi, costume designer and stylist Janaki Kadayat, makeup artist Kabya Thapa, and music composers Prakash Saput, Khem Century, and Jayan J Waiba.