Purna Bahadur Ko Sarangi

Story Line

Purna Bahadur Ko Sarangi (Nepali: पूर्णबहादुर को सारंगी) is a 2024 Nepalese social drama film written by Mahesh Dawadi and story & directed by Saroj Poudel. The film is produced by Binod Poudel , Patrick Subedi, Ramesh Dhakal, Ramesh Chaulagain under the banners of Seven Seas Cinema and Baasuri Films. The film features Bijay Baral, Mukun Bhusal, Anjana Baraili and Prakash Saput. The film highlights the Gandharva community’s struggles, focusing on cultural preservation, love, separation, and the challenges they face in accessing education. It portrays their resilience amidst social and economic hardships.

The film released on October 31, 2024 in cinemas on the auspicious occasion of Lakshmi Puja, third day of the major Hindu festival Tihar in Nepal. The film released with positive response from critics and met with applause from audiences for performance of the cast particularly of Bijay Baral, story, direction and the emotional weight. The film broke many box office records in Nepal and went on to become the Highest Grossing Nepali film of all time within 15 days of its release.

Purna Bahadur Gandharva is a poor gandharva who makes a living by playing sarangi in neighbouring villages. After Batuli, who has a crush on Purna Bahadur, deliberately loses a bet, she marries him much to the anger of her family. While initially very happy, Batuli’s happiness starts fading away after she comes to terms with Purna Bahadur’s poverty and the lack of respect for gandharvas in the society. The couple give birth to a child who Purna Bahadur names Kanchha. Per tradition, Kanchha joins his father in roaming around villages and he is taught to play the sarangi. This enrages Batuli who wants her son to be an educated man and not end up as his father. Batuli secretly plans on taking her son to the city for a better life with Harke, a childhood friend of hers. However, Harke spreads the news that Batuli has cheated on Purna Bahadur with him, which Batuli discovers while she is secretly leaving the village. As a thunderstorm approaches, a scared Kanchha leaves his mother and returns back to Purna Bahadur, who is mourning the death of his father. Influenced heavily by Batuli’s words and his own misery, Purna Bahadur decides to enrol his son, now legally named Kamal Gandharva, to school. In a school play, Kamal plays as a doctor and is surprised to see others respecting him. He asks Purna Bahadur about this, who responds that the people were merely respecting the white coat. That night, Kamal gets caught stealing a white coat and is punished in front of his father. Purna Bahadur explains to Kamal that respect should be earned, and Kamal vows to be a doctor. Ten years later, Kamal passes the SEE exams, and is sent to the city by his father. Two years later, Kamal passes the entrance exam for studying MBBS. However, knowing his father could not afford to pay the tuition fees, he lies about failing the exams and returns back to the village. Purna Bahadur eventually finds out through a newspaper, and Kamal is once again sent to the city. Purna Bahadur takes drastic measures to earn money, selling his property. After he loses his voice following a brawl, he even sells his sarangi. Meanwhile, Kamal, unaware of his father losing voice, starts worrying why his father has not called for months. Kamal eventually completes the degree and becomes a doctor. Planning to treat his father, he returns home. However, Purna Bahadur has already died not knowing his son had become a doctor, as he was illiterate and could not read the letters sent by his son. Discovering this, a devastated Kamal runs away crying.

In present, Kamal’s daughter asks about her grandmother, to which he replies that he will tell the story when time favours.

• Mukun Bhusal as Bire, Purna’s cousin
• Prakash Saput as Kamal Gandharva, Purna Bahadur’s son
• Swayam KC as Purna’s Son (Child)
• Anjana Baraili as Batuli, Purna Bahadur’s wife
• Buddhi Tamang as Dhakre Maila
• Maotse Gurung
• Desh Bhakta Khanal
• Bhola Raj Sapkota

The music is composed by Prashant Siwakoti while the background score is provided by Rohit Shakya. The first song from the film titled “Kadhekuri” was released on 15 September, followed by “Dainey Hataima” on 28 September, “Maijharo” on 3 October, “Raiya Chandiko” on 23 October and “Notaile” on 7 November.