The Nepali historical drama Kirtipur—The Legend of Kirtilakshmy was screened at a charity show in London’s SOAS University of London on Sept 8. The charity show, organised by Pasa Puchah Guthi UK, also included an inaugural screening of the Nepal bhasa short film, Haa Sa: Madugu Sa:, directed by Sunita Rajbhandari Junu.

Kirtipur—The Legend of Kirtilakshmy was directed by Pradeep Khadgi and depicts the life of Kirti Lakshmy, a woman who chose to fight for Kirtipur disguised as a man. In the end, Kirti Lakshmy is said to have been captured and killed in captivity.  

The film was lauded by the audience for creatively presenting ‘untold’ history and for being well-researched. Stressing the importance of preserving indigenous languages, the charity show also sold handcrafted books in the Ranjana script.

The screening was attended primarily by members of the London-based Nepali community. In a video message, director Khadgi thanked attendants and hoped that word of mouth would help the film achieve a Nepali premiere.