When Light Goes

On the bank of the Koshi river, an eastern Nepal, poor old couple lives alone despite having children. They live in the dreams and memories of their children in the mist of hope.

Today millions of young people go to a foreign land in search of work every year. I reside in the eastern part of Nepal, near the Saptakoshi river which is the widest and biggest river in Nepal. Many homeless people inhabit the bank of the river which is very dangerous due to massive floods every year. I know Mr. Shiv Narayan Mandal and Mrs. Kishni Mandal, the protagonists of my film for 15 years. We both live in the same village and belongs to an indigenous community. They lived happily at that time with their three children - one daughter and two sons. They had their own cattle and little land. But after 15 years, I found them on the bank of the river living their lives in various kinds of crisis and misery. I witness their children got married and ran away from them. One of their son went abroad and another son lives with his wife few miles away from them. Now only husband and wife are left at home. Their daily lives are occupied by hunting and begging for food and firewood. Therefore, after witnessing their past and present life, I realized that human existence is painful in this contemporary world. And it is more painful for economically poor people who don’t have any family support. The story of the couple can be relatable in the contemporary world. It is the ethical and moral sense of our society and human civilization at large. Thus, I felt an urge to express the life of them through the medium of cinema. I can associate their lives with many other people and in my personal life too. Through this film, I try to convey the struggle, loneliness, solitude, love, hope, and hopelessness as well as the human condition when their loved ones is abandon from their lives.