Under the Nepali sun

“White Sun” is a stark film that discusses complex social, political, personal issues, with simple ease and startling honesty. The movie opens with the death of the head of a remote village, and traces his steep funeral journey down the picturesque mountainside.
Among the chief pallbearers, are his two sons who have become estranged due to political differences – Suraj, who lived with his father and worked in the army, and Chandra, who left home and joined the Maoist rebels.
The funeral brings the latter back to his village, after a decade away. But the differences are still deep with his brother, and the older villagers. There is also Durga, the woman Chandra married before he left, and who ran the whole household until the death, when her gender made her an outsider.
Finally, there are the two children Badri and Pooja, who get caught in the maelstrom of the funeral drama. Even as the radio-report of the country’s first Constitution brings hope to the people, it is obvious that at the individual level, the scars of the long Civil War still remain.
The director, who took four years to make the film, uses the metaphor of death to bring alive many burning issues, among them political unity, social castes, women’s rights and children’s education. 
Whether he deals with Maoist guerillas, Nepali police, Civil War, social weddings or funerals, the director’s sharp eye and clever vision are impeccable. The performances are another highlight of the film, not just from the superstar protagonist Chandra, but the many nonprofessionals, among them the old villagers and the two kids.
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