Indian auteur Anurag Kashyap has boarded Deepak Rauniyar‘s “Pooja, Sir” as an executive producer, while Channel 4 has snapped up the film for the U.K. and Ireland.
The film debuted in the Venice Film Festival‘s Horizons strand competition earlier this year, and has subsequently played Hamburg and Busan, with the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival up next. It is inspired by real events which took place in Southern Nepal during the 2015 race protests, involving the Madhesi community. In the film, when two boys are kidnapped in a border town in Nepal, Detective Inspector Pooja is sent from Kathmandu to solve the case. However, upon her arrival, the brewing political unrest and violent protests throw her off course, compelling her to seek help from Mamata, a local Madhesi policewoman. By putting aside systemic discrimination and pushing through everyday misogyny, the women attempt to solve the case.
The cast is led by Asha Magrati and also includes Nepali cinema superstar Dayahang Rai, Nikita Chandak, Reecha Sharma, Bijay Baral, Gaumaya Gurung, Aarti Mandal, Ghanashyam Mishra, Prameshwar Kumar Jha, Pashupati Rai and Niraj Shrestha.
The film is produced by Rauniyar and Magrati for Aadi Films, Ram Babu Gurung for Baasuri Films and Alan R. Milligan for Tannhauser Gate. It has also received funding from the Norwegian Film Institute’s Sorfond.
The producers previously sold the film to ARP Sélection for France, Trigon-film for Switzerland, Germany and Austria, and The Tea Folks Films and Byankatesh Entertainment for Nepal. Channel 4 has acquired linear and on-demand rights for the U.K., Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Penny Black Media is handling airline and inflight distribution rights. Los Angeles-based The Film Collaborative is handling worldwide festivals and bookings.
Several films directed by Kashyap have played at Cannes, including “Kennedy” (2023), “Psycho Raman” (2016), “Ugly” (2013), “Bombay Talkies” (2013) and “Gangs of Wasseypur” (2012). In addition, several films produced by him have made it to the Croisette, including “Masaan” (2015), “The Lunchbox” (2013), “Monsoon Shootout” (2013), “The Congress” (2013) and “Udaan” (2010).
Rauniyar’s first feature, “Highway,” premiered at the 2012 Berlinale and played Locarno, while his sophomore feature “White Sun” in 2016 won awards at the Venice, Palm Springs, Fribourg and Singapore festivals. He is also a Berlinale Talents alumnus and his short film “Four Nights” played at Berlinale Shorts in 2022.
“For me it is with a lot of pride I am coming on board ‘Pooja, Sir.’ Not just its a poignant and relevant genre film that speaks to me and I am sure will speak to the audience in India as well,” Kashyap said. “I have been a fan of Deepak’s ‘White Sun’ and have been waiting to see what he does next. Deepak and Min [Bahadur Bham, director of Berlinale title “Shambhala”] are the two exciting voices from Nepal and they’re the pioneers of the new Nepali cinema that is yet to come.”
Julieta Bowyer of Penny Black Media added: “Deepak Rauniyar’s ‘Pooja, Sir’ takes a pivotal historical event and transforms it into a deeply personal and universally relatable story. By focusing on the human impact of these events, the film offers a rich narrative that will resonate with international audiences.”
Jeffrey Winter, co-executive director of The Film Collaborative, said: “We are extremely pleased to be part of the team bringing ‘Pooja, Sir’ to festivals and audiences around the world. As a sophisticated narrative that overlays clear and potent social justice and feminist themes within the context of a world cinema milieu not often seen onscreen, this film fits exactly with our mission and the core reasons we are passionate about film.”
The film will open in Nepal on March 14, 2025 and be released nationwide theatrically on over 200 screens, jointly distributed by The Tea Folks Films and Byankatesh Entertainment.
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