Filmmaker Tribeny Rai from Sikkim shares what went behind making her debut feature film, Shape of Momo
Tribeny Rai, an SRFTI (Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute) graduate specialising in direction and screenplay writing, is travelling across the globe with her Nepali language film—her debut feature, Shape of Momo. The film has garnered acclaim at the Busan International Film Festival and won top honours at the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) 2025. With this film, Tribeny, who hails from Sikkim, aims at breaking the norm of how people from the mountains are often portrayed as secondary in mainstream films and are typically represented in two ways: either as individuals involved in drugs or as women working in parlours. Although her exposure to global films occurred only after she joined the film industry, she is glad that it happened in her life. We spoke with her about her film and more.
Excerpts:
Tell us a little about the film. Did you have any inspiration?
Set against the backdrop of the Himalayas, the film follows Bishnu (played by Pashupati Rai), who grapples with the societal pressures in her traditional village after quitting her job in the city. As tensions rise with her pregnant sister’s arrival and a budding relationship with a suitable boy from her community, Bishnu must choose between conforming to tradition or claiming her independence.
The film happened from a personal experience because I think, as debut filmmakers, you’re always trying to explore subjects or experiences that are close to you. After finishing my course, I went back to my village, and that’s when the plot actually struck me. A woman my age, leaving her job in the city and going back to the village everything was relatable, not just for me but for many other women from the mountains.
Did you face on-the-ground challenges since you shot it at your village, Nandok?
Yes, there definitely were a lot of challenges. Firstly, the logistics. A professional camera setup, the lights, and even the light men had travelled all the way from Kolkata, one of the nearest metro cities.
But I think I was very lucky to be able to work with my friends from film school. At the institute, we are taught to work within limitations, but then, since I was also one of the producers, I had to take care of both the creative and the production aspects of the film, which ended up being super taxing. However, I believe the real challenge has only begun. Now that I have made the film, I have realised that not many avenues are open for the film, especially since it is in a minority language like Nepali. We are still doing the rounds of festivals and planning how to go about the release to make it accessible to as many people as possible.
Why is the film titled Shape of Momo?
Initially, I had certain things in mind. The way there is a conventional shape for a momo, the society has certain expectations or definitions of an ideal woman. No matter how successful, to society, you aren’t good enough if your rotis aren’t round. But as we have travelled with the film, I have gotten so many different interpretations of the title. The one that I would like to mention is where a person felt that the complex process that goes behind making such a simple dish like momo, is the case of almost every woman’s life, their daily hurdles of remain unseen behind.
You were the first person from Sikkim to join such a prestigious film school. How did the state react?
They have not watched the film yet but are really waiting for it because it has travelled so much. I might be the first individual to join SRFTI from Sikkim, but a lot of entrepreneurs and artistes are coming up now. Around a decade ago, it was quite new. But I think they have been really supportive, and I think they are one of the biggest cheerleaders. I will share an incident. So, there’s a cat in the film, and we need to submit fitness certificates to the Animal Welfare Board to pass the censor board clearance. And people, even the vets, came up voluntarily to help us. Even the state government has extended some post-production funds for me. At one point, when there was a shortage of funds and we were not able to complete our films, we reached out, and they really helped. So I think in that sense, in a smaller state, everybody celebrates everybody’s achievement. And it is the first time that a woman has made a film that has travelled across the globe, so I think it is inspiring for younger generations too.
What is the next step forward for the film?.
We still have a couple of film festivals to finish. I think around January/March, we’ll again be travelling with the film. But I definitely have plans to release it theatrically in Sikkim. All Nepali-speaking populations, like those in Dehradun, Assam, Shillong, and North Bengal. So that is the plan so far. I am not so sure about the all-India release because, as it is, even Hindi films are suffering. But we have an international sales agent for the world rights distribution. We certainly will have a limited theatrical release in Italy. It is very surprising; even Dominic Sangma’s Rapture had a huge distribution in France, and it did well.
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