Maina - a most compelling story

KATHMANDU, Feb 19: In making the film ‘Maina’, Kedar Prasad Pathak has chosen a serious and a thought provoking subject. On February 17 in 2004, a young girl was arrested by a group of soldiers after they failed to find her mother, Devi Sunuwar. This was during the 10 years of Maoists insurgency, and that was the last anyone saw of Maina who was only 15-years-old.



The story of her torture and murder at the hands of the soldiers and Devi’s fight for justice for her daughter shook the nation.[break]



Pathak, who has always been an advocate of good and meaningful cinema, found the story of Maina a compelling one. Though the film was completed in 2008, it was released after five years on February 15 this year. The filmmaker talks about the challenges of filming Maina and the importance of the film to nation. Excerpts:



Maina’s story is undeniably gripping. But can you pinpoint what was the exact reason behind your decision to tell this story?

I was looking for a strong subject and at that time, I was already finalizing a script dealing with violence against women. But then Maina was a compelling story, one which needed to be told to everyone. I believe she stands for every victim during the 10 year long fight of the Maoists.



The greatest challenge came in the form of the words of Maina’s mother who asked me if I have it in me to bear the problems that would crop up if I took up Maina’s story. It was an incentive that drove me to the subject and the filming of it.



You’ve said that you received threats during the filming. How did you manage to keep the threats from hurting your work?

Those came in friendly or in the guise of a well wisher, but I could always sense the gravity behind them. To counter the threats, I called in social and human rights organizations for their support. There was a time when I was ready to flee the country. I had a motorbike with a tank full of petrol on standby and my script and some money. But with the transition in the country’s politics in 2006, it became easier for me to continue.



What would the youth today gain from Maina?

The Maoist insurgency affected everyone, and through the film they will be able to understand a very important piece of history. It will be an educative process for them. Maina will be a very important film in the history of Nepali cinema. It speaks not only of one young girl and her family’s plight, but is a story of everyone affected during the insurgency.

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