The cast and crew of the upcoming film Rajja Rani, which is currently on a nationwide promotional tour, were on Wednesday joined on stage by former minister and newly-elected Member of Parliament Lal Babu Pandit.

During the promotional event which took place at the Bakhari Garden in Biratnagar-12, one of the film’s lead actors Keki Adhikari confessed that Pandit is her favourite political leader. Adhikari even proceeded to ask for an autograph from Pandit.

During the event, Pandit spoke about the dowry system—the subject of the film—that remains prevalent in parts of the region. He pointed out that there needs to be a concerted effort at the governmental and societal level to abolish the age-old malpractice.

“After the formation of the government, I will actively seek to put an end to the malpractice,” Pandit said, “There are many possible solutions, one of which might be allocating Rs 10,000 each to the family of the bride. We will begin exploring how we can truly root out the malpractice for good.”

After the Biratnagar event, the Rajja Rani team will move to Janakpur next.

Rajja Rani, a romantic comedy, will be released in two languages—Nepali and Maithali. This will be the first time that a mainstream Kollywood movie is being produced simultaneously in an indigenous language.

Directed by Yam Thapa, the film features actors Keki Adhikari, Nazir Hussain, Kameshor Chaurasiya, Deepak Kshetri, Arun Regmi, Sarita Rajopadhya, and Anooj Pandey, among others.

Rajja Rani will release nationwide on January 5.