‘Momo cuts across class and caste’

Tribeny Rai on defying stereotypes and the challenges of making her debut feature in Sikkim

- Udita Jhunjhunwala

Shonali Bose at a Momo stall in Kolkata

(PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT)

In Tribeny Rai's film Shape of Momo, one of the most revealing details is the symbolism of a woman who does not know or care about shaping a momo properly.

Rai, one of the first formally trained women filmmakers from Sikkim, uses that small act to open up a larger conversation about gender, family and belonging. Her Nepali-language debut feature follows Bishnu, a young woman returning to Sikkim after years away, only to find that home can be both comforting and confining. Edited excerpts from an interview with Rai, 35, whose film deeply observes the invisible pressures that shape the everyday lives of women across generations.

When we were looking for the title, I had many things in mind, but Shape of Momo felt organic to the film. As soon as you say “momo”, you think of Sikkim or the Himalaya, which is where the story comes from. And when we talk about shape, we wanted to explore the kind of box society tries to put women in. Our protagonist does not know how to make momo and does not care.

The original Nepali title, Chora Jaste, translates to ‘Like a Son’. I myself am one of four daughters in my family so whenever I achieved something or did something considered strong, people would say, “You're just like a son”. Even with this film, people would say, “You're just like a son”, and I would think: but I am a woman making this film. So in a way, the title became my quiet reply to society.