Kathmandu. The movie ‘Gaunthali’, which is set to be released across the country from July 1, is currently busy in publicity. The lead actress of the movie, Simran Khadka, is busy promoting the movie among the audience by visiting different places every day.

In an exclusive conversation with Nepal News Bank, the actress talked about the story of ‘Gaunthali’, the characters she played, the life perspective given by the movie, her journey in acting and the existing problems of Nepali society.

According to Simran, ‘Ghostly’ is not just the story of a character, but a representative story of every woman who overcomes many obstacles to fulfill her dreams.

She said, “Everyone has the desire to be something in life, to do something. ‘Gaunthali’ is also the story of a young woman whose biggest dream is to read. Despite many ups and downs in life, ‘Gaunthali’ is a character who does not waver from his goal. ’

The lead role in a movie that carries the legacy of 25 years ago

Simran says that playing the lead role in ‘Gaunthali’ is a challenge as it is a remake of a popular story made 25 years ago, but she has taken it as a responsibility, not pressure.

“I never thought ‘it’s going to be difficult’. My focus was only on judging the character and acting with full feeling. But it was a challenge as the film had a legacy of a story that had won the hearts of the audience 25 years ago. But our whole team was very supportive and it made things easier,” she said.

‘Swallow’ changed thinking

Simran, who played the role of a village girl in the film, was no stranger to cutting grass, carrying firewood, or living in the village. She had already had the experience of enjoying such work when she went to the village during her childhood vacations.

But while reading the story of the film, she did not easily believe that child marriage and discrimination against daughters-in-law is still a reality.

“Earlier, I used to think, where is child marriage now? Where does the mother-in-law look down on the daughter-in-law now? But I was completely wrong,” she said.

Sharing her experience of meeting three women in the same village in course of shooting in Parbat, she said it was very sad to see child marriage and gender discrimination still persisting.

“What we see from the outside may not be the reality. It was only after I went to the village that I realized that child marriage, discrimination and many problems against women still exist. ‘Swallows’ changed my mind,” she said.

From audition to lead role

Simran has been roped in for the film through assistant director Gidas. Then the producers called him for an audition.

“After the audition, he said, ‘I don’t have a fix.’ Later, he called me and said, “You are going to be you.” I still remember that moment,” she said.

TAG_OPEN_strong_85 Unforgettable experience with Madan Krishna Shrestha

Simran says that sharing the screen with actor Madan Krishna Shrestha in ‘Gaunthali’ is an important experience of her acting life.

She remembers that she was very scared when she first acted with the actors she had seen on television since childhood.

“Madan Ba’s health condition was not easy. It was difficult to walk normally. But after ‘Action’, he used to stand and act for 15-20 minutes. I used to stand up and give a cue to myself because I had a good feeling. I got a chance to learn a lot from him,” she said.

She said that although she had a fun atmosphere with senior actors like Madan Krishna Shrestha, Rabindra Jha and Prakash Ghimire on the set, she had to control a lot of laughter to not spoil the emotion of her acting as her character was very emotional.

Society is changing, but the journey is still to be made

According to Simran, society has moved forward on the path of change, but it has not completely changed.

“Child marriage has decreased and is changing. But the problem is not completely over,” she said.

According to him, in many places, there is still a thinking of ‘what is the use of educating a daughter?’, ‘Why study after marriage?’, ‘The dream is over after having a child’.

Getting married and having a child does not end the dream. You can achieve your goals at any age. She stressed that for this, the mind should be strong and the goal should be clear.

Why watch ‘Swallow’?

According to Simran, ‘Gaunthali’ is not just a film made for entertainment. It also carries a social message.

“The film has a good social and moral message. One moment you laugh, the next moment you become emotional. Love is also presented in a very beautiful way. The aspect of how a character with autism falls in love is also shown in a very sensitive way,” she said.

Childhood dream ‘I want to be a heroine’

Simran says she has dreamt of becoming an actress since childhood. “During Dashain, everyone was blessed with the slogan ‘Become an engineer, become a pilot’. I used to tell you to be a heroine,” she recalled with a smile. After the lockdown, she started her acting journey through a music video, after which she took acting classes. Within a month of starting the class, the audition for the movie ‘Premgunj’ opened.

“We just went to audition for experience. But I was selected. At that time, I told the director, ‘I don’t know anything, take another actor’. But he believed in me,” she said. She expressed her special gratitude to the director who gave her the first opportunity.

After that, she got opportunities in films like ‘Chitra’, ‘Agastya’ and ‘Beuli from Meghauli’. She has also received professional training from the Actors Hub Academy to further improve her acting skills.

Simran sees potential in her own country rather than abroad

Speaking about the wave of youths going abroad from Nepal, Simran admitted that many Nepalis are forced to leave the country due to economic reasons. She says that her own family has also advised her to go abroad. But she says that she sees her career and future in Nepal.

“So far, I have been doing good work and earning a good income. I think there is a possibility in Nepal if we focus on one goal and work with honesty,” she said.

Thanks to the viewer

Thanking the audience for the love given to the trailer, teaser and song of the film, Simran requested to go to the theatres to watch ‘Gaunthali’ once.

“Wherever we went for promotions, the audience gave us a lot of love and said, ‘Let’s watch your film’. It was a new experience for me. Thank you for all your love and support so far. The movie is slated to release on July 1. I expect you to give an unbiased review based on what you think,” she said.