''Badhshala'' (English: Slaughter House) is a 2013 Nepali

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

film written and directed by Manoj Pandit and produced by Mohaan Dotel under the banner of Smashing Apple. It features

Dayahang Rai Dayahang Rai ( ne, दयाहाङ् राई) is a Nepali actor, director, and playwright. Dayahang is known for his uniqueness in Nepali cinema. He is one of the most popular and acclaimed actors of Nepal. He has starred in over 40 films ...

Saugat Malla Saugat Malla ( Nepali: सौगत मल्ल) is a Nepalese film actor and producer. He began acting professionally in 2008 and became known for his leading role as Haku Kale in '' Loot'' (2012). Other work includes ''Mukhauta'' (2014), Sa ...

Khagendra Lamichhane Khagendra Lamichhane is a Nepalese theater actor, writer and director. He is best known for his work in movies such as '' Talakjung vs Tulke'' and '' Pashupati Prasad''. He entered the acting field in 1999. He has directed five plays, mostly s ...

, Anup Baral, and

Arpan Thapa Arpan Thapa ( ne, अर्पण थापा) (born 15 November 1978). is a Nepali actor, director, and scriptwriter. He studied acting in Mumbai in 2002 before returning to Nepal to start his career in the Nepali film industry. He sold CDs a ...

. ''Badhshala'' concerns the torture done by the Nepali Army to the

Maoists Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Chi ...

during the

Nepalese Civil War The Nepalese Civil War was a protracted armed conflict that took place in the former Kingdom of Nepal from 1996 to 2006. It saw fighting between the Nepalese royal government and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) throughout the country. ...

. It was briefly banned in Nepal but was cleared for screening after filmmakers deleted the "problematic torture scenes".

Synopsis

The film is based on the tortures carried out by the Nepali Army on

during the

(1996–2006). It shows that innocents and Maoists detainees were forced to sign a paper saying that they were Maoists, and they were later killed by the army in a jungle. The army also asks them to reveal information about their leader; if they refuse, they are taken to a jungle where they will see detainees being brutally murdered, implying that they will be killed if they do not reveal the information.

Cast

as Captain Rai *

as Maoist Leader *

as Krishna * Anup Baral as Major Sab *

as Captain Thapa

Production

''Badhshala'' was reportedly made on a budget of four million Nepalese rupees (about US$46,512 in 2013).

Banning

Initially, the

Nepali Army The Nepali Army ( ne, नेपाली सेना, translit=Nēpālī Sēnā), technically the Gorkhali Army ( ne, गोरखाली सेना, translit=Gōrakhālī Sēnā, label=none; see ''Gorkhas''), is the land service branch ...

objected to the film being screened because the actors are wearing military uniforms without permission. Later, the army said that the film could "derail the peace process". In March 2013, ''

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...

'' reported that ''Badhshala'' had been banned. Director Manoj Pandit said that he would go to the Supreme Court of Nepal, regarding this as an attack on freedom of speech. According to the director, the film is fictional but based on historical facts. Pandit told the ''

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...

'' that he had given a DVD of the film to Prime Minister

Baburam Bhattarai Baburam Bhattarai ( ne, बाबुराम भट्टराई, ; born 18 June 1954), also known by his nom de guerre Laaldhwoj, is a Nepalese politician and former Prime Minister, who presently serves as leader of the Nepal Socialist Part ...

to urge him to release the film. The film was cleared for screening in cinemas after the filmmakers deleted the "problematic torture scenes". ''Badhshala'' was screened on 19 April 2013. The film was later selected for 16th

Siliguri Siliguri, ) is a major tier-II city in West Bengal. It forms twin cities, "Twin Cities" with the neighboring district capital of Jalpaiguri. The city spans areas of the Darjeeling district, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts in the Indian sta ...

international film festival in 2015.

Critical reception

Trishna Rana writing for ''

Nepali Times ''Nepali Times'' (stylized as NEPALI Times) is an English weekly newspaper that provides reporting and commentary on Nepali politics, business, culture, travel and society in 16 pages. The weekly is aimed at the expatriate, diplomatic and busines ...

'' wrote that ''Badhshala'' is a "flawed historical drama" since it shows only one side of the civil war.

References

External links

* 2013 films Films about police misconduct Films banned in Nepal Nepalese drama films Nepalese Civil War films Nepalese historical films {{Nepal-film-stub