There’s a scene in the trailer of “Aama” where aama (Mithila Sharma) trudges through the busy streets of Kathmandu with a desolate, distraught look, the vermillion on her forehead being washed down by the falling rain. This moment of agony caught brilliantly on camera by the film’s cinematographer and director Dipendra K. Khanal embodies the content of “Aama”—a beautiful film about the ugly realities of life.

Also written by Khanal, Aama’s story revolves from an incident that causes a serious head injury to the father of the family, Yagya Prasad Aryal (Desh Bhakta Khanal), which in turn requires immediate surgery. His wife (Sharma) brings him to Kathmandu in an ambulance. Here, her only family is her daughter Arati (Surakshya Panta) and her husband (Manish Niraula). They admit him to a hospital where he undergoes an expensive surgery. The proceedings up to and after that make up the story of the 1hr 52min-long family drama.

Aama builds around real life stories sourced from Nepali society. Khanal—a filmmaker who has had both critical and commercial success—does a brilliant job of interweaving sub-stories within the main plot and creating a screenplay that doesn’t distract from the film’s organicness. The central figure aama could be any of the mothers we see around us—aging, frail, crushed, but still unbroken.

Although the film appears to be about mothers, it actually places daughters at the center of things. The Aryal family daughter, Arati, struggles against all odds to get her father treated, and supports her mother through testing times. She quits teaching and uses all her savings to save her father. Her husband somewhat supports her, but the childless couple already face pressure from their own families and society, and he falters at times. 

The sad part is, despite all her trials and tribulations, Arati cannot take the place of the family son. Arati’s elder brother (Arpan Thapa), who we only hear on the phone, is an illegal immigrant in the US and despite his parents longing for his return, he is unable to be of much help besides sending a small amount of money. The film shows how the society gives more importance to the son despite the daughter doing everything she is capable of. “Don’t you have a son?” is a question aama is frequently asked when people want to inquire about her social and financial security. The gender imbalance is clearly addressed and then cleverly shamed.

Khanal as the writer, director and cinematographer has made this film a tightly-knit story that is a mirror of the society. In an industry where comedy is the most successful and sought after genre, Aama’s premise builds on a mundane, real-life story but with Khanal’s storytelling skills, the film turns out to be an outstanding unadulterated work of art. The cinematography is brilliant too. Meticulousness oozes out of every shot as Khanal intelligently places his characters in their settings and situations, describing their inner conflicts onscreen. There’s a particular ‘half face’ shot used for the main characters which creates a sort of dissonance on screen, but aptly defines the characters’ conflicts.

As aama, senior actress Mithila Sharma stands tall. She’s a Nepali movie veteran and fits the role. But it’s Surakshya Panta, a relative newcomer, who steals the show with her artistic brilliance. She’s one of the few Nepali actors who could have performed this role with such naturalness. Surkahsya’s Arati is a strong, resolute, undaunted woman, but nowhere does she appear larger-than-life and that’s how she manages to have the entire audience empathize with her.

Aama is one of those rare Nepali films where even the supporting actors are methodically cast instead of hiring underperforming debutants. Along with the veteran Tika Pahari, a host of talented actors including Sarita Giri, Saroj Aryal, Aashant Sharma and Asmita Khanal, among others, make up the cast of one of the best Nepali movies of the year.

Who should watch it?

This is one Nepali film we can proudly label as a must-watch for everybody. Aama breaks norms, dismantles stereotypes and proves there are mature filmmakers and artists in the industry. It’s a story without theatrical augmentations that we call can relate to. Please go watch Aama and take everyone you love along with you.

Genre: Drama

Run time: 1hrs 52min

Director: Dipendra K. Khanal

Cast: Mithila Sharma, Surakshya Panta

Rating: 4.5 stars